Cancer According to the National

Cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, Cancer is a defective system of growth that begins within the human body. The institute explains that there are many different kinds of cancer but all cancers are characterized by unrestrained growth that advances toward unlimited expansion (Understanding cancer series). Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women throughout the world. The purpose of this discussion is to examine how an individual acquires cancer, what can be done to prevent it, the genetic basis of cancer chances of survival, and Treatments.

There are several ways in which can be acquired. For instance some cancers such as lung cancer are usually caused by cigarette smoke, while other cancers such as ovarian cancer are caused by hormonal factors. In addition to hormonal factors and cigarette smoke, some cancers occur as a result of high dietary fat and low dietary fiber. There are also other environmental factors such as pollution that can lead to center types of cancer. In addition, genetics make some individuals more likely to acquire cancer than people that do not have the same genetic factors. The causes of breast cancer can be hormonal, dietary, genetic or some combination of the three.

As far as prevention is concerned, numerous studies have shown that proper diet and the proper amount of exercise may greatly reduce the likelihood of acquiring certain types of cancer including colon and rectal cancers. Not smoking and eliminating second hand smoke will also prevent many types of cancers including lung, bladder, stomach, kidney, mouth and throat. In addition, Colon Cancer can be prevented through screening which can detect precancerous polyps that can be removed before they become cancerous. Many people die from colon cancer simply because they fail to get screened for the disease.

There are also drastic ways to prevent breast cancer that have arisen in recent years. This type of prevention involves the complete removal of both breasts and all breast tissue. By having this operation individuals are able to completely eliminate the risk of having breast cancer. In most cases this procedure is only done on women who have many members of their family (mothers, grandmothers, aunts) that have been diagnosed or died from breast cancer. In such instances there is usually a genetic reason why members of the same family have acquired breast cancer or other types of cancer. It is actually a genetic defect in which the proto-oncogene mutates and becomes an oncogene. Basically the job of the proto-oncogene is to create the code for the protein that controls cell division. When the proto-oncogene is defective the protein can not be produced properly. Without the proper production of the protein cancers are more likely to develop.

The survival rates for cancer depend upon what type of cancer is diagnosed and when the cancer in diagnosed. Lung, Ovarian and Cervical cancers tend to have lower survival rates because by the time symptoms appear, the cancer is in a later stage. Other cancers that are caught in early stages such as stage one or stage two are usually treatable and the prognosis for survival can be rather good.