DON'T FEAR CANCER! BE READY TO CONQUER!!

          LIFE IS ONE, LIVE IT AND NOT FEAR IT!!

    We get sick for two days , we face slightest of discomfort and there we are, already imagining the worst scenarios. When we talk about worst, it is obviously supposed to be the most deadliest of all! CANCER! Have we ever wondered why cancer becomes something to be so afraid of? Why is it considered the most ghastly disruptive disease? The answer would be low options available on it’s treatment and the treatments which at all are available have low success rates, have millions and dozens of side effects and  not only do they narrow down the chances of recovery but also survival.

The Ratio at present suffering from various types of cancers globally is around 65% of an average population. Also every third person is at a risk of getting affected once in a lifetime depending upon the other factors such as their lifestyles. Every 1 in 6 deaths is due to cancer and it is also the second leading cause of deaths globally. The exposure rate for men and women account for almost about equally , but still the highest rate for men is at 579.9men per 100,000 of population. Out of all this proportion , there are more deaths resulting due to cancer treatment than what the disease itself might cause, which accounts to one third of the deaths.

Initially this disease was categorised as the one for the elite class or for the westerners or for the old aged, as they had unhealthy and diet and lifestyle with minimal mobility. As the economy grew and progressed it further spread it’s vague to rich and poor alike, young and old the same , broadening the amount of risks for everyone alike.

After learning about such an alarming rate of the number of deaths which are increasing due to cancer and the level of exposure each one of us is amounted to , we might as well want to learn what sort of changes or factors are influencing this amount of exposure to such ghastly synopsis. 

What is cancer ?

Cancer may be thought upon as an abnormal process of the body , where the body starts creating abnormal cells , which keep growing out of the normal , defined, boundaries and where the body or our immune response loses control over this obnoxious process.

Well, we are taught from the very beginning “early to bed and early to rise , makes a man healthy , wealthy and wise”. This , as we happen to confuse, is not just true for children but a valuable piece of advice to abide with , as this small teaching covers it all. It shortly implies , if we are waking up early , it means we have our day organised and well planned ahead of us, which will further imply that we are having a routine and working with our greatest abilities, which further helps us to retire early for the day. Settling early for bed , itself means half of our worries and stress is taken care of as when we enter into our replenishing routine (sleep) body detoxifies itself physically and meantally , further improving our physical and mental well being.

The actual cause of cancer is unknown , as it is the transformation of healthy cells into tumor cells , which go through multiple stages of precancerous condition to a malignant existing disorder.  These sort of changes are influenced by interaction of a human’s genetic pool with external carcinogens. The carcinogens may further be divided into three broad categories, viz , physical , chemical and biological. It is important to learn that few of these agents may be present very commonly around us without us being aware. The physical carcinogens include agents such as ultraviolet rays, ionizing radiations, etc. The chemical carcinogens are water intoxicated with arsenic or components of tobacco smoke, etc. The biological agents include , stress among various other disease causing organisms like bacteria and viruses. That means each time we are in exposure of sun , smoke, X-ray equipments, sedentary lifestyle, contaminated food and water and many such more common surroundings , we are at a high risk of exposing ourself to a disbalance between our genetics and carcinogens.

How to avoid the risk?

The major risk factors associated with Cancer as a whole globally , and recognized by WHO , are use of tobacco , alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity along with mental instability to cope up with a strong stimulant common these days, stress . Therefore, by avoiding all of these and by maintaining healthy weight and height , we are saving ourselves from the risk of our most frightening nightmares.

Treatment:

This protocol broadly includes four phases:

1. Avoiding risk factors - Its has been said by WHO that about 30-50% cancers and cancer risk can be removed. The risk factors can be avoided by staying healthy and motivated through a good lifestyle, by eating healthy , reducing weight and also by minimising or withdrawing from the use of stimulants such as tobacco and alcohol. Also there are a lot of virus borne diseases, such as HPV and PAP which may prove to put the person at a potential risk of the disease. Therefore these need to be abstained from as well.

2. Prevention - Prevention is better than cure and for prevention it is the best way to get yourself vaccinated against the most potent viruses or the STD’s as well . Also Hepatitis B itself may prove to provide a good breeding ground for cancer of liver or HCC.

3. Early Diagnosis , early detection and screening - Early diagnosis ascertains good prognosis, with less chances of morbidity . Also with greater chances of survival and management of patient with less expensive treatments.

4. Treatment through various other lines - When cancer is at an advanced stage lines such as chemotherapy , radiotherapy and targeted or immunotherapy come into play. Also initially surgery may be advisable in some of these. Out of these, the worst prognosis is carried out by procedures such as Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy.

However , treatment as a whole is a very broad topic and cannot be summed up in a short jist. The very first step that is and must be involved is determining the goals of treatment, whether it is recovery or palliative care. Next step should be to look for health integrated and people- centered services. Also, sometimes the objective does narrow down to support the patients through a good quality of life. Also alternate and more people centric therapies , such as immunotherapy provides not just for good quality oriented treatment, but it manages the patient as a whole where optimum goal is for a good and improved quality of life , broadening the aspects of treatment to a total recovery.

So don't fear CANCER, just FIGHT it off, and it starts as soon as NOW.