Understanding The Worst C Word In The World

Today, we have a very informative piece on understanding cancer. I appreciate all of the contributed posts we receive, but I do want to point out that the author of this post is not a health care professional and neither am I. This article is strictly for informational purposes. Only health care professionals and doctors can give you advice on these types of matters. So, please take what you learn here and ask them about it. OK?

If you were to poll people about the worst word to hear from a doctor cancer would definitely be at the top of the list. It’s a word that we all fear because for many it is linked almost unquestionably with suffering and even death.

But is cancer something we should automatically fear or is it something that has been built up over the years? Is the diagnosis horrifying or something that we can come to terms with? Is the hope on the horizon for cancer sufferers and is there anything that you can do to reduce the chances of you getting the disease?

These are some of the questions that we aim to answer today and along the way we’re going to explore some of the investments that might be beneficial whether the disease is experienced by your family or not.

But, let’s start with the big question.

How Common Is Cancer?

Recent research has suggested that by 2020, one in two people will develop some kind of cancer and this should tell you why it is so important that we come to terms with the condition. The chances of someone developing a type of cancer will soon be 47 percent.

In 2016, there was 1.6 million diagnoses of cancer in the US alone, and it is worth pointing out that not every case of the diseases will be diagnosed. Many types of this disease come with no symptoms at all and therefore are often very difficult to get a diagnosis.

Unfortunately, then it does seem as if the condition is increasing and becoming more common. Nearly half of us will receive a cancer diagnosis in our lifetime, and it just isn’t something we can ignore anymore.

You might recall that it used to be one in three, but it is important to realize that there hasn’t been a sudden jump in the cases of the disease. Rather, this new estimate has come from a different way of measuring the cases. Still, the new research does point to a slow increase in the disease, and it is worth looking into why this is.

The primary reason for the increase in a number of cases is actually due to medicine and health. In the developed world at least, people are living for longer than they used to and the average life expectancy continues to climb. Most life expectancy rrates across the world in developed countries are over eighty and even though the USA is trailing in the high seventies that is still considerably higher than it used to be.

Even though that sounds like great news, this is the reason for more cancer diagnoses and the modern prediction of how prevalent it will become. This brings us to the next crucial question.

Who Is Most At Risk of Developing Cancer?

Based on the news media and even entertainment media, you might think that cancer is equally spread around population demographics, but that’s not true. It’s arguable that campaigns for funding of cancer charities focus on the young because this is more tragic but the reality is that it’s far more common for the elderly to develop cancer.

In fact, over seventy percent of cases of cancer are experienced by people over the age of seventy. As such, age can be recognized as the most prevalent cause of the condition. With a growing elderly population, this is another reason why everyone needs to have a better understanding of the disease.

It’s also worth knowing that some of the most common causes of cancer are some with the best survival rates. Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer, and the survival rate is ninety-eight percent. This is why it is so important that you do check for lumps and bumps. Found early and the prognosis can be very good indeed.

Malignant Melanoma is another common cancer with an excellent survival rate. Found within one year, there is a ninety percent chance of survival for cancer patients. Breast cancer is still high, and ninety-six percent of those diagnosed with cancer will survive if they receive treatment in a year. However, after ten years the prognosis drops off significantly.

This is another important aspect to understand about cancer. If you are diagnosed early then, it significantly increases your chances of survival. In fact, in some cases getting diagnosed in year one could increase your chances by up to twenty-five percent. Perhaps then, we should explore some of the ways to increase your chances of surviving a cancer diagnosis.

Beating Cancer

The good news is that evidence shows that more people than ever are beating their cancer diagnosis. Perhaps there was a time when cancer would be a death sentence, but that’s not true anymore. Half the people diagnosed with the disease will live beyond ten years.

According to researchers and medical developers, the trick to beating cancer these days is focusing on the individual aspects of the disease rather than the tumour itself. In fact, after initial treatment fails as it will in ninety-five percent of cases, medical professionals then move onto treating the disease on a molecular level.

Essentially, each type of the disease has a molecular structure that is different for each individual patient. By focusing on this treatment, each patient can be treated individually and based on their specific case rather than the disease itself. This has been shown to result in a far more beneficial diagnosis.

Of course, treatment like this isn’t cheap, and as such you do need to make sure that you are on the right health coverage plan. Be aware that some health insurance policies do not include treatment for cancer so you will want to check this with your health provider. Due to the increased chance of developing the disease if you have health coverage you need to make sure you get treatment for this condition.

Though it’s certainly true that the biggest impact on survival rate is still age. Generally speaking, the older you are, the worse the prognosis is.

Advanced Treatments And Research

Aside from this, it is useful to know that treatments for cancer are developing every day and there is always new research into different cases of the condition. This is why the prognosis for cancer has improved as the disease has grown more common. Companies like Hera Bio Labs are using advanced methods such as xenografts in mice to explore what impacts the disease and how it can be treated.

As well as this, there are research studies right now at both animal and human testing stages with a new medicine that could prove to be very effective at treating the condition. While there’s no guarantee, the best chance of beating a cancer diagnosis is often to get accepted on an advanced clinical trial. Patients can speak to a medical provider about this possibility or conduct their own research. Contacting medical companies can be your best chance of getting a part in a clinical trial.

The issue with clinical trials is that you could end up in the placebo group, so there’s always a fifty-fifty chance on whether or not you receive treatment for the condition. It’s coin toss odds, but it is certainly better than nothing.

Causes Of Cancer

Many researchers have tried to pinpoint the causes of cancer, and some are more clear than others. For instance, there is overwhelming research that shows evidence smoking is linked to the development of lung cancer. But others are less clear. Some evidence suggests that sitting for long periods through the day can increase your chances and others have provided support that processed meats and other foods could be a factor to consider.

Of course, skin cancer can be caused by exposure to the sun, but you might not realize that it doesn’t even need to be a sunny day for this to happen. In fact, UV rays can damage your skin on a day where the sky is overcast, and this is why many researchers advise that you always wear sunscreen.

Many people argue that eating well, exercising regularly and avoiding dangerous substances like alcohol and nicotine gives you your best chance at avoiding cancer completely. That is why you should make sure that at least a portion of your finances is spent on buying good food and physical activities. Basically, a gym membership and organic food could be the best financial investments for your health.

It is, however, worth noting that living healthily is not going to protect you from the condition completely. There are many people who look after their health and still develop the disease whether they are in their thirties or seventies. This is because that there’s a lot about cancer that is still a mystery and some causes are either unknown or unproven.

While a diagnosis of cancer is still going to be frightening hopefully this article provides information and context into a condition that half of us will develop at some point in our life.