subject: Cancer - True Cancer Facts [print this page] Cancer has a reputation as being terrifying . It has not earned this reputation by accident. It is a disease that has not yet fully given way to the skills of medical scientists, doctors, and researchers . Also , as if the pain caused by the disease is not enough, the treatment for cancer, too, inflicts heavy suffering on the body.
Uncontrolled and abnormal cell division is what characterizes cancer. Cancer spreads in the body and destroys tissues as the cancer cells travel through the blood stream or the lymphatic system. The runaway growth of cells is caused by mutations to the DNA in the cells which makes the cells unable to control cell division. This mutation can either be inherited or acquired . The rate of mortality in cancer depends on the cancer type and where it develops.
Lung cancer kills the most, causing in excess of 3 million deaths every year worldwide. It is found in the 50 and above age group population most and is one of the most common types of cancers that occur in the Western countries. The main risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. Cigarettes , especially, contains several carcinogens. It is estimated that 80 per cent of all lung cancers are caused by smoking. Studies are beginning to recognize second hand smoke as being a cause of lung cancer.
Asbestos is another carcinogen that might cause lung cancer. Malignant cells develop in the pleura in mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer.
The problem with asbestos cancer is that diagnosis is difficult. One reason is that the symptoms of mesothelioma cancer occur only 30-50 years after the exposure to asbestos. Another reason is that the symptoms of asbestos lung cancer, such as shortness of breath and chest pain, looks the same as those of many other medical conditions.
The incidence of mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer has climbed in the last two decades. This type of cancer still is considered a relatively rare form of lung cancer, because the incidence rate is only 1 per 1,000,000 people. In contrast, the incidence of lung cancer is 1,000 per 1,000,000.
The common lung cancer treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, the general treatment methods have not been very successful in the case of asbestos cancer, yielding only a short survival rate of 6-12 months after the presentation .
Again, surgery does not have much effect on small-cell lung cancer. A treatment method for lung cancer that has become increasingly popular in recent years is radiofrequency ablation. This technique is especially effective in killing the cancerous cells inside the tumors. By inserting a small heat probe in to the tumor, the tumorous cells are 'cooked'. This technique is also non-toxic and causes almost no pain for the patient.
Scientists are developing new techniques of treatment, such as molecular targeted therapies, for lung cancer. Better and more effective therapies are to be expected as scientists and researchers coax out more secrets from the human cells.
Cancer - True Cancer Facts
By: Paul Morse
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