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Date Posted: 04-02-2012
This month's healthy living topic is Cancer Awareness. We have posted a presentation on the Town's Wellnss page which you can access by clicking here.
Cancer Basics
- Cancer cells are abnormal cells that grow at an out of control rate.
- Normal healthy cells grow, divide, then die. Then are replaced with new healthy cells of the same type.
- Cancerous cells do not die, they just keep multiplying.
- Normal cells have good forms of DNA. And if their DNA becomes damaged, the cells repair it before they divide and multiply again.
- Cancerous cells have damaged DNA that they do not repair. Therefore, when they divide, they multiply and spread the bad DNA.
Words we hear a lot
- Benign: a tumor can be benign if it is a mass of healthy cells. They do not invade other tissues. They only cause harm if they are in the way of healthy organs.
- Metastasize: Cancer cells spreading into the blood stream, lymph nodes, or other health tissue.
Signs and Symptoms
- There are countless signs and symptoms that may be signs of cancer.
- The signs and symptoms vary depending on where the cancer may be.
- According to the American Cancer Society, these are some general signs that you should follow up with your doctor about.
- NOTE: these are not absolute signs that you have cancer, just guidelines of what to be aware of!
General Guidelines of Signs and Symptoms
- Change in Bowel habits
- Nagging cough
- Trouble swallowing
- Sores that do not heal
- Unexplained weight loss
- Thickening lump in body
- Fever
- White spots in mouth
- Unusual bleeding
- Fatigue
- Pain
- Skin Changes
- Recent change in wart or mole
(American Cancer Society)
Causes of Cancer
- Some possible causes/risk factors of cancer:
- Sun and UV exposure
- Genetics
- Tobacco
- Carcinogens
- Diet and Exercise
- Not all risk factors are related to all types of cancer, some relate specifically to certain types of cancer.
- Ex: sun related to skin cancer
Types of Cancer
- Adrenal Cortical Cancer
- Advanced Cancer
- Anal Cancer
- Aplastic Anemia
- Bile Duct Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Bone Cancer
- Bone Metastasis
- Brain/CNS Tumors In Adults
- Brain/CNS Tumors In Children
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Cancer In Men
- Cancer in Children
- Cancer of Unknown Primary
- Castleman Disease
- Cervical Cancer
- Colon/Rectum Cancer
- Endometrial Cancer
- Esophagus Cancer
- Ewing Family Of Tumors
- Eye Cancer
- Gallbladder Cancer
- Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumors
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST)
- Gestational Trophoblastic Disease
- Hodgkin Disease
- Kaposi Sarcoma
- Kidney Cancer
- Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancer
- Leukemia - Acute Lymphocytic (ALL) in Adults
- Leukemia - Acute Myeloid (AML)
- Leukemia - Chronic Lymphocytic (CLL)
- Leukemia - Chronic Myeloid (CML)
- Leukemia - Chronic Myelomonocytic (CMML)
- Leukemia in Children
- Liver Cancer
- Lung Cancer - Non-Small Cell
- Lung Cancer - Small Cell
- Lung Carcinoid Tumor
- Lymphoma of the Skin
- Malignant Mesothelioma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Myelodysplastic Syndrome
- Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancer
- Nasopharyngeal Cancer
- Neuroblastoma
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma In Children
- Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancer
- Osteosarcoma
- Ovarian Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Penile Cancer
- Pituitary Tumors
- Prostate Cancer
- Retinoblastoma
- Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Salivary Gland Cancer
- Sarcoma - Adult Soft Tissue Cancer
- Skin Cancer - Basal and Squamous Cell
- Skin Cancer - Melanoma
- Small Intestine Cancer
- Stomach Cancer
- Testicular Cancer
- Thymus Cancer
- Thyroid Cancer
- Uterine Sarcoma
- Vaginal Cancer
- Vulvar Cancer
- Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia
- Wilms Tumor
(American Cancer Society)
Statistics
- To view charts of estimated cancer diagnosis and deaths in the year 2012:
Treatments
- Herbal and Holistic Treatments
- Removing the cancer
- Most commonly used in early stages when the cancer has not spread.
- Used to shrink the cancerous cells or tumor when it is too large to remove surgically, but has not spread dramatically.
- Attack many types of cells in the body. Goal is to shrink the cancerous cells.
- A more detailed and clearly explained video on cancer cells and treatment options:
Protecting Yourself
- Find cancer signs early while the cancer is small.
- Protect yourself from harmful amounts of sun
- Avoid Tobacco
- Know your body and be aware of any changes, see your doctor.
- Lead a healthy and active lifestyle, and fuel your body with healthy foods.
- Get testing done as its recommended: Ex. colonoscopies, mammograms
Support Yourself
- On line support resources from the American Cancer Association: On Line
Support Others
- Get involved!
- Get teams together for cancer walks
- Volunteer at events
- Donate
- Reach out!
There is an endless amount of information about cancer. The previous information is just the absolute basics of the illness. Please ask your doctor or another reliable source for more detailed information.
Source- "Cancer Basics." American cancer society. American Cancer Society, 2012. Web. 31 Mar 2012. <http://www.cancer.org/>.
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