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Vaidah Mashangwa
It is estimated that 2.5 million people die of cancer every year and it is fast growing to be one of the leading causes of death among mankind.
Cancer affects people of all ages but usually those above 40 years of age. Being diagnosed with cancer does not mean the end of the world. Dreams can still be pursued and attained.
Besides, cancer is most often treatable if detected in its early stages. The basic causes of some cancers remain unknown though some substances in the environment may cause cancer such as asbestos fibres, cigarette tars and automobile pollutants.
Other kinds of cancer run in the families. Cancers of the breast, colon, and rectum are more prevalent in families with a history of those diseases. Women whose mothers or sisters had breast cancer are more than twice as likely to develop the cancer too.
Tobacco use also causes cancer and alcohol is also linked to cancer. The combination of drinking and smoking increases risk of developing cancers of the tongue, throat and lungs. Researchers estimate that alcohol consumption directly causes 10 percent of cancers in men and 3 percent of those in women. Avoiding alcohol could prevent approximately 30 percent of total cancers. Chronic use of marijuana is also linked to lung cancer.
There is also strong evidence that alcohol triggers breast cancer in women and colon cancer in both men and women. However, there appears no safe limit/dose of alcohol that will avoid the cancer-causing effect.
People who eat food high in cholesterol and fats low in fibre may increase their chances of developing cancer of the colon, rectum and breast.
Preservatives which may be found in hotdogs or cured ham have also been linked to cancer. There is controversy too about the use of certain artificial sweeteners and their relationship to cancer.
On the other hand, over exposure to the sun’s rays is known to cause skin cancer though it may take a number of years for skin cancer to develop.
Cancer can strike any part of the body. However, some types of cancer seem too occur more frequently than others. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women.
October is set aside as Breast Cancer Month every year. The fact that a whole month is dedicated to cancer show how critical the challenge is.
About one in every 11 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Women most likely to develop breast cancer are over fifty years, have a family history of breast cancer or had a first child after age 30. However, some cases have been reported in younger women.
Signs of breast cancer are lump thickening, swelling or dimpling of the breast. A discharge may appear from the nipple. Studies, however, have indicated that 80 percent of the lumps found in breast tissue are not cancerous. All lumps should be checked as soon as possible by a physician. Some breast cancer is a major health risk. Women are encouraged to perform breast self- examination. In breast self-examination a women checks for a lump and that should be done once every month after each menstrual period.
If breast cancer is detected treatment and cure include radiation therapy, chemotherapy or surgery. A combination of the three may be used. Surgery can include the removal of the breast and the underlying muscle and the lymph nodes to just the removal of the cancerous lump.
The earlier the cancer is detected the greater the success of treatment and cure. It should be noted that men also get breast cancer although the incidence is much lower than that of women.
Less than 1 percent of all breast cancers occur in men. In 2015, about 2,350 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease. For men, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000, according to www.cancerquest.org.
Many wonder how men can have breast cancer when they “don’t have” breasts. Boys and girls, men and women all have breast tissue. The various hormones in girls’ and women’s bodies stimulate the breast tissue to grow into full breasts. Boys’ and men’s bodies normally don’t make much of the breast-stimulating hormones.
As a result, their breast tissue usually stays flat and small. Still, you may have seen boys and men with medium-sized or big breasts. Usually these breasts are just mounds of fat. But sometimes men can develop real breast gland tissue because they take certain medicines or have abnormal hormone levels.
At one time, cervical cancer was one of the most frequent causes of death in women. however, the use of the Pap Smear Test has enabled cervical cancer to be detected and treated early. Women who are at greater risk of developing cervical cancer are those who have multiple sex partners, fail to ovulate or are obese.
If cervical cancer is detected options are available depending on the extent of the cancer. If surgery is necessary, a hysterectomy may be performed, that is the removal of the uterus. Sometimes surgical removal of the ovaries is necessary. Women should have a pap smear at least once a year as a preventive measure.
In men, cases of testis cancer have been increasing in recent years. This occurs in men aged 15 to 34 years. Early signs include an enlarged scrotum or a hard painless lump in one of the testes. Self-examination can also be done each month. Treatment and cure include surgery and chemotherapy.
If one testis has been removed the other one will continue to function.
When detected early, 100 percent of the cases can be prevented from spreading to other parts of the body.
Apart from the cancer of the testis, lung cancer is the most common cancer in men. Research clearly shows that cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer.
According to the book, Health and Wellness Approach over ninety percent of the people who get lung cancer survive less than five years after its diagnosis.
There is also skin cancer as one of the common forms of cancer. The warning signs are a sore that does not heal, a change in the size or colour of a wart or mole and the development of an unusual pigmented area. The best prevention of skin cancer is to avoid the sun’s harmful rays between 10AM and 3PM. Sunscreen lotions can be applied to avoid the negative effects of the sun’s direct rays.
Colon and rectal cancers are also a leading cause of death in both men and women. Symptoms include bleeding from the rectum, blood in the stool or a change in bowel habits. A special stool blood slide test can be used at home. The person then sends this test to a laboratory for analysis.
Leukaemia is cancer of the blood- forming tissues and is the most common form of cancer in children. The signs are similar to those of a cold that is, fatigue, paleness, weight loss, repeated infections, easy bruising and nose bleeds. Most of the methods of treating leukaemia have been a success but the five year survival rate for its victims is only fifteen percent.
Several other types of cancer affect the children and these cancers are often found in blood, brain, nervous system and kidneys. Symptoms include headaches with morning vomiting, increased swelling, persistent pain in bones or joints, lump in abdomen, neck or elsewhere, development of whitish appearance in the pupil of the eye, recurrent fevers not due to infections, excessive bleeding or bruising and noticeable paleness or prolonged tiredness.
The best way to deal with cancers is to detect it early and having regular medical examinations and self-examinations. Another way to detect cancer is to be aware of its warning signals. Some signals include change in bowel or bladders habits, sores that do not heal, unusual lump in breast or elsewhere, indigestion or difficulty in swallowing, obvious change in the size of the mole or wart and nagging cough or hoarseness.
The writer is Vaidah Mashangwa Provincial Development Officer Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development. She can be contacted on 0772111592 email [email protected] October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the fact that a month is dedicated annually to this purpose shows the gravity of the disease.
Online Reporter