Let’s talk
about
cancer
Continued from Page 10
lost a lot of weight over the last couple of months
that cannot be explained by changes to your diet,
exercise or stress.
There are no proven ways to prevent cancer, but you
can reduce your risk of getting it. There are some cancer
risk factors we can’t do anything about, such as our age,
family history and medical history. The aim of this article
is to highlight some of the things we can do something
about, for example leading a healthy lifestyle can help
lower your risk of developing certain cancers. You can
do this by: eating a healthy balanced diet, maintaining a
healthy weight, drinking less alcohol, stopping smoking,
protecting your skin from sun damage.
We are slowly becoming obese and In England,
over 60% of the population is overweight or obese.
Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of
some cancers, such as: bowel cancer, pancreatic cancer,
oesophageal cancer, breast cancer if you are a woman
who has been through the menopause, cancer of the
womb (uterus) and kidney cancer. Being a healthy weight
can reduce your risk of developing cancer so let’s start
losing weight today!
Drinking alcohol is known to increase your risk of
some cancers, including:
mouth cancer,pharynx and larynx cancer,
oesophageal cancer, colorectal cancer in men and breast
cancer. Drinking is probably a cause of other cancers
such as colorectal cancer in women and liver cancer.
Women shouldn’t regularly drink more than 2-3 units of
alcohol a day, and men shouldn’t regularly drink more
than 3-4 units a day. “Regularly” means every day or on
most days of the week.
Lung cancer is responsible for around a quarter of
cancer deaths in the UK, and 90% of lung cancer cases
are related to smoking. We know that stopping smoking
greatly cuts the risk of developing cancer and the earlier
one stops, the greater the impact. But it’s never too late
to quit. People who quit smoking at 30 live nearly as long
as non-smokers, and those who quit at 50 can still undo
half the damage.” There is support to help you stop
smoking so take advantage of it and quit smoking today!
Each specific type of cancer has its own set of
treatment methods.
However, many cases of cancer are treated using
chemotherapy (powerful cancer-killing medication)
and radiotherapy (the controlled use of high energy
X-rays). Surgery is also sometimes carried out to remove
cancerous tissue. Early diagnosis of cancer increases
the chance of surviving so please do not procrastinate.
What are you waiting for? See your GP today please!
This is a huge topic and I have tried to summarise
it and hope that you have learnt something. Please feel
free to share , comment or like this article . The message
to take home is that you should see your doctor without
delay if this article resonate with you.■
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The Observer - 2 March 2014 - 11
he risk of prostate cancer among black Zimbabwean
men increased dramatically to 6,4 percent annually
and new trends show that prostate cancer has now
become the most common cancer of men.
The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells
grow, divide, and produce more cells as needed to keep the
body healthy. Sometimes, however, the process goes wrong -cells become abnormal and form more cells in an uncontrolled
way. These extra cells form a mass of tissue, called a growth or
tumor. Tumors can be benign, which means not cancerous, or
malignant, which means cancerous.
The prostate is a male sex gland, about the size of a large
walnut. It is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum.
The prostate’s main function is to make fluid for semen, a white
substance that carries sperm. The prevalence of prostate cancer
among Zimbabwean black men is rising and the growth rate is
now several times higher in recent years than it was 20 years ago,
according to findings by the Zimbabwe Cancer Registry (ZCR)
Prostate cancer occurs when a tumor forms in the tissue of
the prostate. In its early stage, prostate cancer needs the male
hormone testosterone to grow and survive.
Scientists don’t know exactly what causes prostate cancer.
They cannot explain why one man gets prostate cancer and
another does not. However, they have been able to identify some
risk factors that are associated with the disease. A risk factor is
anything that increases your chances of getting a disease.
The symptoms of prostate cancer include: A need to urinate
frequently, (especially at night), difficulty starting urination or
holding back urine, inability to urinate, weak or interrupted
flow of urine. However, if prostate cancer develops and is not
treated, it can cause the following symptoms: Painful or burning
urination, difficulty in having an erection, painful ejaculation,
blood in urine or semen and pain or stiffness in the lower back,
cancer
on increase
hips, or upper thighs
Due to low-seeking behaviour by men, prostate cancers is usually
detected at an advanced stage. However it is encouraged for men to
have regular physical exams and a simple blood test (called a PSA test)
which are the keys to early diagnosis. You can start having regular
physical exams and PSA tests in your mid-40s.If you have a family
history of prostate cancer, you should start having regular tests earlier.
Early diagnosis will allow you to have early treatment, if this is
necessary. If prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated early, then your
risk of dying from this illness is small. If prostate cancer is diagnos