CANCER: CAUSES PREVENTION AND CURE BY MUFFLIHAT IBAGBE-- DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT CANCER

#WE CAN, I CAN
This is the hashtag of this year's celebration of World Cancer Day. Internationally, Cancer is celebrated every 4th of February in order to reinforce the awareness of various forms of cancer and the importance of prompt diagnosis and treatment.
In a layman’s term, Cancer refers to an abnormal growth. Literary, Cancer refers to abnormal proliferation of cells within the body. Physiologically, new body cells are made as old ones wear out. Occasionally, some old cells do not get destroyed or even at times there may be overproduction of cells. Not all abnormal growths lead to cancer. Growths capable of metastasis (spreading to other body parts) are referred to as malignant tumors(Cancer) while other growths not capable of metastasis are referred to as Beningn tumors. Cancer cells differ from normal cells in size, structure, function and rate of growth. Cancer cells grow much rapidly than normal healthy cells, hence making metastasis fast. The primary sites of cancer metastasis are lymph nodes, bone, liver, lungs and brain.
Cancer has become a major source of morbidity and mortality. It is the world's most prevalent form of noncommunicable disease. It is the second common cause of death in developed countries and the third leading cause of death in developing countries. According to World Health Organization (WHO), 24.6 million people live with cancer worldwide and by 2020, 16 million new cases will be diagnosed per annum. Today, more than twice as many people die from cancer than from AIDS, malaria and TB combined.  According to Syllia and Wild(2012), Nigeria contributed 15% to the estimated 681 000 new cases of cancer that occurred in 2008. In Nigeria,  about 100 000 new cases are diagnosed every year.
Cancer is no respecter of sex or age. There are over 100 types of cancer. Some are predominantly found in each sex and some in both sexes regardless of age. Oftentimes, cancer is named according to the part of the body where it is located. Some are, breast cancer, cervical cancer, cancer of the prostate, colorectal cancer, liver cancer and non Hodgkin lymphoma. These are the commonest form of cancer with breast cancer predominantly found in females and cancer of the prostate predominantly found in males. Other forms of cancer are skin cancer, lung cancer, endometrial cancer, leukemia(cancer of white blood cell), ovarian cancer and so on.
There are no specific causes to cancer but there are predisposing factors depending on which type of cancer. Factors such as age, infection, family history, alcohol intake, radiation, chronic inflammation and tobacco use. Tobacco use accounts for 20% of cancer deaths worldwide and about 6% of cancer deaths in Africa. And since there are no specific causes, in order to prevent the onset of cancer, modifiable risk factors could be worked upon such as:
Use of a hat, or sunscreen or staying in the shade to prevent skin cancer. This reduced the body's exposure to ultra violet radiation from the sun.
Vaccination: Human pappilima virus vaccine prevents cervical cancer.
Tobacco use and alcohol intake should be discontinued.
Healthy eating habits by taking adequate fruits and vegetables
Others may include, Breast self examination, testicular self exam, and papsmear test.
When cancer is diagnosed and treated early, there is a much higher possibility of recovery. According to WHO the main goals of cancer diagnosis and treatment are to cure or considerably prolong the life of patients and to ensure the best quality of life for cancer survivors. Hence, a standardized health facility should be visited for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Identifying and treating cancer at an early stage can save lives. Cancer that is diagnosed early is more likely to be treated successful. Research has shown that
More than 90% of women diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer diagnosed at an earlier stage survive the disease for at least 5 years compared to 15% of women diagnosed at a late stage(Cancer Research, UK)
There are several treatment measures in cancer. Treatment may include forone or more of the following; chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, hormonal therapy and palliative care
Chemotherapy works by inhibiting the or slowing down the growth of cancer cells thereby preventing them from multiplying rapidly. It makes use of chemicals that interfere with the cell division process. In the course of killing cancer cells, some healthy cells may be destroyed. It may be given by mouth, by infusion or injection.
Immunotherapy: Also known as Biologic therapy. It focuses on building the body's natural defenses
Targeted therapy: This involves the use of drugs that attacks specific cancer cells with less harm to the normal cells.
Surgery: This helps to remove some or all of the tumor presenting depending on the part of the body affected.
Radiotherapy uses high energy x rays, gamma rays, neutrons and protons to  destroy cancer cells and at the same time minimizing harm to the healthy cells.
Hormone therapy: Some cancers are sensitive to blood levels of certain hormones such as prostate cancer. Hormones can be administered to adjust hormone levels while synthetic hormones can also be administered in other caution the production of hormones in the event of an overproduction in the body. Occasionally, there may be need to remove by surgery an organ that produces a particular hormone.
Palliative care: This focuses on relieving and preventing the symptoms of cancer and its treatment.Everyone experiences stress at some point or the other. From people in working class, to students and even little kids all experience stress. Stress is one the leading cause of high blood pressure, hypertension, reduced efficiency of man laour and other sicknesses and is characterized by insomnia, body aches, rapid heart beat, overreacting/underreacting, loss of enthusiasm and energy, mood changes and changes in eating patterns. The things that trigger stress are called stressors.
Stressors are situations or agents that impose threat on our well being. It could be noise, unpleasant people, slow traffic, loss of a loved one, nervousness of doing something for the first time, worrying about meeting deadlines, and even exams. These stressors aren't really our problem; it is our negative response to them that make us feel stressed. Here, I will be sharing tips on how to manage stress and better your health.
1. Identify stressors
Different situations can produce stress that can leave a person feeling tired and overwhelmed. As different things trigger stress in different people, it is important to know what exactly triggers your own stress. Identifying the stressors will give you a head start in tackling stress.

2. Learn to adapt, avoid or accept what you can't change.
At times, unexpected changes/situations could throw us into stress and pull us down. Be it death of a loved one, a bad break up, or loss of something important. When we're faced with frustrating situations, or certain things we can't change like annoying people, demanding boss, tight schedules, or being broke. It is best to accept and adapt to these changes(stressors) if we can't avoid them.

3. Replace unhealthy habits and behaviors with healthy ones
If you find yourself smoking, overdrinking, overeating or pretty much doing things you don't usually do in excess. Chances are you are increasing your stress level. Reduce/ avoid smoking, replace alcohol and caffeine with water, fruits drinks and tea to stay hydrated. Alcohol and weed are depressants and may help you escape stress temporarily but will actually damage  your health in the long run. Caffeine is a stimulant and would increase your energy levels, keeping you awake for longer and may even affect your alertness and keep you from getting sleep. Try also to indulge a healthy diet.
4. Do physical activities
Try taking a walk in fresh air whenever you feel stressed; use the stairs instead of elevators. Exercising atleast twice a week will have a significant improvement in your stress levels. Exercising will help you channel out those  negative energy, improve blood circulation, help help you relax and stay healthy.
5. Talk to someone
Talk to someone who can help about issues that might be bothering you instead of bottling them up. It would lift the burdens and make you feel better. It is also important to connect and spend time with family and loves one's. Sharing moments and laughter with the ones you love will help you relax and boost your mood.
6. Manage your time
The feeling that there's so much to do and so little time is stressful on its own. Since you can't have more hours of the day, what you need is a means of maximizing your time to get more things done. Planning your time will give you a sense of control over your day and ensure that you are not wasting time on irrelevant things that may even appear urgent. It will help you meet deadlines and create time in your schedule to relax.
7. Get more Sleep
Stress and sleep have a two-way relationship. Getting a good night's sleep can help reduce the effect of stress. At the same time, high stress levels can make sleeping more difficult or could even lead to sleeping disorders. It is therefore advisable to treat sleeping disorders or better still eliminate all forms of distractions before bedtime in order to give your brain time to calm down before sleep. Getting enough sleep also boosts your energy levels, alertness and help control blood pressure.

In order to promote early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, there is need for:
Increment in public awareness campaigns especially to the remote areas.
Accessibility of screening centers and affordability of services
Subsidization of the cost of treatment
Rehabilitation services for cancer survivors. There is a great possibility of cancer recurrence, and so a after remission of symptoms, there should be frequent and regular health check ups

BY


MUFULLIHAT IBAGBE