Cancer Facts, stats, cure and treatment
Cancer will claim 9.6
million lives in the world this year and India’s share in it will be a worrying
8.17 per cent, warns data recently released by the World Health Organization’s
(WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer. Deaths from cancer worldwide
are projected to continue to rise to over 13.1 million in 2030.
What
causes cancer?
Tobacco use is a risk
factor for 14 types of cancer, says the Lancet report. The other equally
worrying triggers include alcohol and drug use (eight cancer types) and poor
diet (eight cancer types). It adds that unsafe sex is the main risk factor for
cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer type in women. It
attributes the high incidence of lung cancer to tobacco use and air pollution.
Cancer
Fact sheet in India
1. There are more than
100 types of cancers; almost any part of the body can be affected.
2. The five most
frequent cancers in India between men and women are breast, cervical, oral
cavity, lung, and colorectal.
3. Cancer is the second
most common cause of death in India.
4. Use of tobacco
products is the single most preventable cause of death worldwide. As many as
2,500 persons die every day due to tobacco-related diseases in India.
5. More women in India
die from cervical cancer than in any other country. Rural women are at higher
risk of developing cervical cancer as compared to their urban counterparts.
Cancer Symptoms
Signs and symptoms
caused by cancer will vary depending on what part of the body is affected.
·
Fatigue
· Lump or area of thickening that can be felt under the skin
· Weight changes, including unintended loss or gain
· Skin changes, such as yellowing, darkening or redness of the skin, sores that won't heal, or changes to existing moles
· Changes in bowel or bladder habits
· Persistent cough
· Difficulty swallowing
· Persistent indigestion or discomfort after eating
· Persistent, unexplained muscle or joint pain
· Lump or area of thickening that can be felt under the skin
· Weight changes, including unintended loss or gain
· Skin changes, such as yellowing, darkening or redness of the skin, sores that won't heal, or changes to existing moles
· Changes in bowel or bladder habits
· Persistent cough
· Difficulty swallowing
· Persistent indigestion or discomfort after eating
· Persistent, unexplained muscle or joint pain
Cancer treatments
Doctors have many tools
when it comes to treating cancer. Cancer treatment options include:
1.Surgery
- The
goal of surgery is to remove the cancer or as much of the cancer as possible.
2.Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
3.Radiation
therapy - Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy beams,
such as X-rays, to kill cancer cells. Radiation treatment can come from a
machine outside your body (external beam radiation), or it can be placed inside
your body (brachytherapy).
4.Stem
cell transplant - Stem cell transplant is also known as
bone marrow transplant. Your bone marrow is the material inside your bones that
makes blood cells from blood stem cells. A stem cell transplant can use your
own stem cells or stem cells from a donor.
5.Hormone
therapy - Some types of cancer are fueled by your body's
hormones. Examples include breast cancer and prostate cancer. Removing those
hormones from the body or blocking their effects may cause the cancer cells to
stop growing.
6.Targeted
drug therapy - Targeted drug treatment focuses on
specific abnormalities within cancer cells that allow them to survive.
Some alternative
medicine options found to be helpful for people with cancer include:
§ Acupuncture
§ Hypnosis
§ Massage
§ Meditation
§ Relaxation techniques
§ Yoga
§ Hypnosis
§ Massage
§ Meditation
§ Relaxation techniques
§ Yoga
