The Real Cancer Facts | Cancer Fund of America's Blog

Cancer has a horrendous ? reputation. It has not acquired this reputation by accident. Cancer is a disease that has not yet fully yielded to the skills of medical scientists, doctors, and researchers . Also , as if the pain caused by the disease is not enough, the treatment for cancer, too, inflicts heavy suffering on the body.

Cancer is a disease characterized by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division. It spreads in the body and destroys tissues when the cancer cells travel through the blood stream or the lymphatic system. Mutations to the DNA in the cells that makes the cells unable to control cell division is what causes a runaway growth of cells . This mutation can be either acquired or inherited . The rate of mortality in cancer is conditional upon the cancer type and where it develops.

Among cancers, lung cancer is the biggest killer, causing up to 3 million deaths each year worldwide . It affects the above-50 age group population most.? It is one of the most common types of cancers that occur in the Western countries. The main risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. Cigarettes , especially, contains several carcinogens. Almost all lung cancers are caused by smoking. The role of passive smoking in producing lung cancer is also being recognized by studies.

Another carcinogen that could cause lung cancer is asbestos. This substance, which is widely used due to its fire-resistant qualities, causes a rare type of cancer called mesothelioma cancer. The outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity, know as the pleura, is where mesothelioma cancer develops. The problem with asbestos cancer is that diagnosis is difficult. For one, the signs of mesothelioma cancer occur only 30-50 years after the exposure to asbestos. Another reason is that the symptoms of asbestos lung cancer are similar to those of many other medical conditions.

The report of mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer has climbed in the last two decades. Still it is thought of as a relatively rare form of lung cancer, because the incidence rate is only 1 per 1,000,000 people. In contrast, the incidence of lung cancer is 1,000 per 1,000,000.

Radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy are common treatments for lung cancer. However, the general treatment methods have not been very successful in the case of asbestos cancer, yielding only a short survival rate of 6-12 months after the presentation .

Again, surgery does not have much effect on small-cell lung cancer. A treatment method for lung cancer that has become increasingly popular in recent years is radio frequency ablation. Techniques such as this are especially effective in destroying the cancerous cells inside the tumors. These cells are ?cooked? by putting in a small heat probe into the tumor. This treatment is also non-toxic and causes almost no pain for the patient.

Scientists are developing new techniques of treatment, such as molecular targeted therapies, for lung cancer. As scientists and researchers are able to coax out more secrets from human cells, better and more effective therapies can be expected.

Next, read about cancer assistance. There are many charities that support victims of cancer and help find assistance for cancer victims.

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