Cancer: Risk, Treatment and Prevention

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Table of Contents

Cancer
Cancer Risk Factors
Preventive measures
Evidence-based treatment methods
Susceptibility to cancer quackery
Questionable Methods
Promotion of questionable methods
Reference

Cancer

Definition: – A condition characterized by abnormal cells that do not function usefully in the body, thereby destroying normal body tissues (Barrett, 2013).

Cancer facts

Cancer is the second leading killer in the United States.
One out of four deaths result from cancer in the U.S.
In 2011, the ACS approximates that about 572,000 million Americans died of cancer.
In 2011, the ACS estimates that 1.6 million new cases of invasive cancer were discovered.
No best single treatment so far, for all cancers.
Each cancer has its unique characteristics.
Cells are similar, hence difficult to kill abnormal cells and leave normal ones.
No single solution is expected in the foreseeable future.

Cancer

Cancer Risk Factors

Environmental:

Tobacco smoking: – Responsible for 85% to 90% of lung cancer cases, mouth, pancreas, larynx, esophagus, and other organs.
Excess alcohol consumption (increase risk for mouth, rectum, liver, esophagus cancers.
Radiation – increase leukemia and skin cancers.
Certain sexual patterns, infections, drugs, and/or occupational exposures.
Pollution – Heavy chemicals such as benzene, asbestos increase cancer risk

Note:- Effect of diet on cancer is not clearly established although it is attributed to a number of cancers.

Genetic causes.

Cancer Risk Factors

Preventive measures

Primary prevention:

The most important measure taken before cancer occurrence;
Avoid cigarettes and other tobacco products;
Regular exercise;
Avoid excess alcohol consumption.

Secondary:

Periodic physical examinations,
Pap smears,
Colonoscopy,
Mammography.

Note: Thermography and trans-illumination are not valid breast cancer testing techniques (Barrett, 2013).

Preventive measures

Evidence-based treatment methods

Surgery

Used commonly for major cancer forms in the early stages.
Involves tumor and cancer containing nearby tissue removal.

Radiation therapy

Ionizing radiation used internally or externally.
Destroys cancer cells.
The high risk of destroying non-cancer cells.

Chemotherapy

Increasingly becoming effective in treating cancer.
Drugs attack cancer cell to prevent them from spreading to distance places.
Curative doses have severe side effects.

Other: Photodynamic, Localized hyperthermia, Marrow transplants, interleukins.

Evidence-based treatment methods

Susceptibility to cancer quackery

The cancer field is susceptible to unproven fraudulent treatments.
Questionable treatment methods used because of fear that cancer is incurable and costly to treat.
Factors that influence cancer patient to seek unconventional treatment methods.
Believing that cancer has been cured.
Slow-growing cancer patients misrepresented as cured.
Non-standard methods are explained in common-sense terms hence seem plausible.
Promoters encouraging patient to believe they blame themselves because they are ill.

Susceptibility to cancer quackery

Questionable Methods

Definition: – they are diagnostic tests that promote the general use of cancer prevention, treatment, and diagnosis which are not scientifically proven (Barrett, 2013).
Cancer management includes:
Corrosive agents,
Plant products,
Diets and dietary supplements,
Drugs (Iscador),
Correction of imbalances,
Biological methods,
Device therapy among others.

Questionable Methods