Cancer

Back in the early part of the 1990's a film called 'The Medicine Man' was released, a story that revolved around a research scientist who discovers the cure for cancer, only to lose it in a local disaster; fortunately there is a worldwide research program being carried out and it's just a matter of time. Although there are other more awful diseases, this one holds the crown at the moment because of how often it is diagnosed; a cure would bring a sigh of relief everywhere. The causes for cancer seem to be many but despite all the knowledge we gain, it is still almost impossible to know if or when a person will contract it.

If someone were to ask you what cancer was, would you be able to give them a definition like the one in this article? This is a disease where unhealthy cells grow, divide and then expand into other cells, often transferring to parts of the body using a method called metastasis.

The malignant property of cancer differentiates it from benign tumors which limit their growth and do not invade or metastasize. Some benign tumors, however, are capable of becoming malignant. It causes more deaths per population than any other illness and the older you get the more prone you are to contracting the disease; thirteen percent of people die from one of it's many strains every year around the world. Cancer is an abnormality in the body's cells and can be caused by a number of agents including carcinogens or poisons such as smoke, infectious agents or radiation.

For some people the problem lies not with any form of external poison although faults with their parents DNA or genetic makeup can result in a person being born with the diseased cells. It is still not fully understood why one person will contract the disease and another be free from it but it is believed that the interactions between any carcinogens and each person's particular DNA is complicated.

Research into the cause of cancer continues around the globe and is the disease most frequently studied on a regular basis. More knowledge is being acquired about cancer each year. Study, in general, helps us learn why one person is more susceptible to an illness than another. Ultimately, even if they don't find the cure for some time, this research may be able to tell us how to avoid contracting cancer in the first place.

It is now believed by many that the food we eat could be responsible for many cases. Even if this is not the case, what we eat does have an effect on our overall and long term health. Foods that could be a problem are Salt, sugar, saturated fat and cholesterol. Recent studies have shown that calcium received from dairy products can be harmful to men and could encourage the onset of prostate cancer.

Cancer does not seem to have preferences as it is able to invade just about every part of the human body and organs. The problem is that it can also be insidious and a person may have it for some time before it is diagnosed. Cures for many types have advanced in recent years and are more likely to be successful if the cancer is found in its early stages. Advancements in medical techniques mean that cancer in many cases can be treated and often completely cured; it is only a matter of time before a complete cure is discovered.