Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

illustration By taylor boyd

1,437,180 cancer cases this year

by amanda kinney

aekinney@vwc.edu

There are about 10 million Americans in the world today that have faced a diagnosis of cancer. Some of them have just been diagnosed or are going through treatment, while others no longer have active symptoms of cancer or are considered cured.

No two people with cancer are alike, just as no two friends or family members are the same.Each person has his or her own way of coping with cancer. When you are diagnosed with cancer, it’s the first thing you think about when you wake, and the last thing you think about before you go to sleep. It is normal to get upset, but with time it gets better. Talking about your fears, and worries helps the healing process. For those family members, and friends of loved ones with cancer the most important thing you can do is listen. Just listen and give words of encouragement. Most of all, let them talk about their fears. They can’t be strong all the time.

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, it doesn’t just affect them but it affects their family and friends. For those with cancer and their loved ones, it is like moving through a cloud of fog everyday. It doesn’t seem real and it won’t for some time.

Cancer death rates are dropping, but not until more Americans adopt healthy lifestyle habits and follow screening recommendations, the gains are likely to be small, according to a new American Cancer Society report.

Even though cancer mortality rates are declining, the number of cancer related deaths are increasing. Although it may sound as if there is good and bad, American Cancer Society experts say progress is being made in the fight against cancer.

About one-third of the 565,650 estimated cancer deaths that are likely to happen in the United States this year can be due to one’s personal lifestyle decisions. It is important to take care of our bodies, mentally and physically. It’s about what we do and do not put into our bodies. Many contributing factors to being diagnosed with cancer are the following: obesity, poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Another 170,000 deaths will be due to tobacco use alone.

The death and suffering due to cancer can be prevented or caught early on by changing one’s lifestyle habits, and by making people more aware of established screening tests.

Unfortunately problems come with people not really acknowledging what cancer really is and how to really contribute to the fight against cancer.

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. When the spread is not controlled, it can result in death. Cancer can be caused by both external factors including tobacco, chemicals, radiation, and infectious organisms and internal factors which would include inherited cells, hormones, immune conditions, and metabolism. Ten or more years often pass between the exposure to external factors and detectable cancer.

There are many different treatment options when diagnosed with cancer. These options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, biological therapy, and targeted therapy. The best option usually being surgery, however, isn’t always an option. That’s especially true when dealing with lung cancer which happens to be one of the hardest types of cancer to cure. If the cancer has spread amongst the lungs in different places it is impossible to surgically remove the tumors when they have already spread so drastically.

Cancer is taking the lives of mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, husbands, wives, and it could all be prevented. It is estimated that more than 1,437,180 cancer cases will be diagnosed this year. That number is far too high. There are certain types of cancer that can be prevented, and there are many that can be detected early on.

It isn’t cheap either. The overall costs of cancer treatment this past year were estimated at $ 219.2 billion: $89 billion for direct medical costs; $18.2 billion for indirect morbidity costs (cost of lost productivity due to illness); and $112 billion for indirect mortality costs (cost of lost productivity due to premature death). With this, there is a lack of patients getting the complete care they need.

The word “cancer” is one of the scariest words one could ever hear. When someone is diagnosed with cancer, everything changes. Beliefs, hopes, dreams, worries, wishes and so much more. It takes a toll on them physically and mentally. It is beyond our control to some extent, but we can all come together to makes strides in the fight against cancer.

Help yourself, and help others. It only takes one person to make a difference.