10 - 2 March 2014 - The Observer
WORLD CANCER DAY
4 February 2014
Let’s talk about cancer
W
Dr Brighton Chireka
e all know or have heard of
someone who has had cancer.
Some are alive and some
unfortunately are no longer with
us. Cancer is one topic that is not talked about
by many people and also is not fully understood
. There is a lot of fear of the unknown due to
the lack of knowledge . Sometimes people perish
because they lack knowledge about cancer. I hope
that this article is a first step in addressing some of
the educational needs that we all have about this
important topic. I had the opportunity of having
an online chat show about cancer 2 weeks ago with
Facebook group called TALK Zimbabwe , thanks
to Alex T Mambondiani. Information that is
covered here is of general nature and the purpose
of it is to encourage everyone to go and see their
doctor for further medical advice.
Cancer begins in cells and cells are the body’s
basic unit of life. Let me expand on what normally
happens in our bodies and what can go wrong .
The body is made up of many types of cells. These
grow and divide in a controlled way to produce
more cells that are needed to keep the body healthy.
When cells become old or damaged, they die and
are replaced with new ones. However, sometimes
this orderly process goes wrong. The genetic
material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or
changed, producing mutations that affect normal
cell growth and division. When this happens, cells
do not die when they should and new cells form
when the body does not need them. The extra cells
may form a mass of tissue called a tumour . These
cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding
healthy tissue, including organs and spread to other
areas, for example cancer of the bowel (tummy)
can spread to the liver or lungs. This process of
spreading is known as metastasis.
There are over 200 different types of cancer,
each with its own methods of diagnosis and
treatment. Most cancers are named for the organ
or type of cell in which they start - for example,
cancer that begins in the colon is called colon
cancer; cancer that begins in melanocytes of the
skin is called melanoma and cancer that begins in
breast is called breast cancer.
Cancer is a common condition and in some
countries such as UK it is estimated that more than
one in three people will develop some form of
cancer during their lifetime. In the UK, the most
common types of cancer are: breast ,prostate, lung,
bowel ,bladder ,uterine (womb) cancer.
It’s important to know your body and recognise
any changes, such as lumps or unexplained
bleeding, and to get advice about whether they
might be serious.
There are so many symptoms associated with
cancer and I do not have the space to include them
all and the article will be too long to read. I would
advice you to see your GP ( doctor ) if you have
some of these symptoms listed in this article. Please
remember that these symptoms are often caused by
other, non-cancerous illnesses, so it does not mean
having these symptoms is a sign of cancer, but it is
important you see your GP so they can investigate.
Other potential signs and symptoms of cancer
are outlined below.
1- See your GP if you notice a lump in your breast,
or if you have a lump that is rapidly increasing
in size elsewhere on your body.
2- You should visit your GP if you have had a
cough for more than three weeks.
3- Go to see your GP if you have experienced one
of the changes listed below and it has lasted for
more than a few weeks: blood in your stools,
diarrhoea or constipation for no obvious
reason, a feeling of not having fully emptied
your bowels after going to the toilet, pain in
your abdomen (tummy) or your anus (back
passage) and persistent bloating
4- You should also go to see your GP if you have
any unexplained bleeding such as:
blood in your urine, bleeding between periods,
blood from your back passage, blood when you
cough, blood in your vomit
5- Go to see your GP if you have a mole (skin lesion)
that: has an irregular or asymmetrical shape, has
an irregular border with jagged edges, has more
than one colour (it may be flecked with brown,
black, red, pink or white), is bigger than 7mm in
diameter, is itchy, crusting or bleeding, Any of
the above changes means t