subject: Finding out more about cancer [print this page] Finding out more about cancer
If you've just discovered that you, or one of your loved ones has cancer, you may be on the verge of a very difficult period in your life. For cancer sufferers and the people that support them, the process of undergoing therapy and consulting with doctors is an emotional one and often the overriding emotion felt by people is fear. Such fear can be made more manageable, however, simply by finding out more about cancer in general and the particular type of cancer that is affecting you. After all, thanks to the tremendous advances made to cancer treatment in the UK, being diagnosed with cancer does not necessarily mean death. So how can you find out more about cancer?
Start by looking into the frequency of cancer and the rates of survival. In the UK, for example, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer, with 47,700 women diagnosed with the disease in 2008. And while breast cancer primarily affects women, men are not immune either - in the same year, 341 males were found to have breast cancer. What's more, breast cancer is considerably more common in women aged 50 or over than in younger women. Discovering this information allows you to establish where you or your loved one fits into the general demographic of breast cancer sufferers in the UK.
However, information is also available about breast cancer survival rates. Statistics show that three quarters of breast cancer sufferers now survive the disease for at least ten years, while 2 out of 3 survive beyond 20 years. This is a vast improvement on levels of breast cancer survival in the UK from the 1970s. Indeed, since the 1980s, breast cancer death rates have fallen by more than one third. These statistics are certainly cause for positive thinking and as investment into breast cancer treatments, therapy and screening technology continues, these survival rates are likely to improve even further.
Cancer information can be found in a number of places, including from your consultant and leading cancer charities like Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support. And although breast cancer is the UK's most diagnosed cancer, health organisations will have information and statistics on all types of cancer that are common in the UK, including lung, prostate and colorectal cancers. Ultimately, ensuring that you're in the know about the real facts of cancer and cancer survival rates will play a significant role in managing the fear that cancer can cause and promoting a happier state of mind when living with the disease.
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