INTENSIFYING AWARENESS ON CANCER SCOURGE AS THE WORLD CANCER DAY IS COMMEMORATED ON SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2017
Tomorrow, Saturday February 4, the world over
is commemorating the 2017 World Cancer Day. Each year, the World Health
Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the International Agency for Research
on Cancer (IARC) supports Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to
promote ways to ease the global burden of cancer.
The annual World Cancer Day was formally adopted in Geneva, Switzerland
by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in the year 1933 through the
remarkable efforts of the UICC and other world’s prominent cancer societies, in
order to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration. The primary aim of
the Day is to significantly reduce illnesses and death caused by cancer via
raising of awareness on cancer and encouraging its prevention, detection, and
treatment.
Cancer, also known as malignant
tumor or malignant neoplasm, is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell
growth with the tendency of invading or spreading to other parts of the body. Possible
signs and symptoms of cancer include a new lump, prolonged cough, abnormal
bleeding, unexplained weight loss, and a change in bowel movements, among
others. While these symptoms may indicate the occurrence of cancer, it’s
equally worth noting that they may occur due to other medical issues.
Cancer, which can occur in over
one hundred different ways in the human body, is mainly caused by either
uncalled practices or dietary risks, such as tobacco smoking, incessant intake
of alcoholic drinks, obesity, low fruit and vegetable consumptions, lack of
physical activities, as well as certain infections like hepatitis B, hepatitis
C, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and human papillomavirus. Some cases of
cancer could also be as a result of genetic defects one inherited from his/her
parents.
Cancer can be detected by certain signs and
symptoms or by screening tests. It is typically further investigated by medical
imaging and confirmed by biopsy. Early detection through screening is useful
for cervical and colorectal cancer.
Cancer, though a preventable disease, is indeed a human frightening and
deadly medical condition that can occur in any essential organ in the body
including stomach, lung, breast, kidney, liver, heart, eye, nose, skin,
cervical, bone, and brain, just to mention but a few. Many cancerous growths
can be prevented by not indulging in smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, not
drinking too much alcohol, eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole
grains, being vaccinated against certain infectious diseases, not eating too
much red meat, coupled with avoidance of regular exposure to sunlight and urban
air pollution.
Cancer is usually treated with
chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or targeted therapy; or sometimes, a
combination of all. In a typical cancer treatment, pain and symptom management
are an important and basic part of care. Palliative care is particularly
recommended for patients suffering from advanced cancer condition.
The chance of survival solely
depends on the type of cancer and the extent of the disease as at the time the
treatment commenced. In children under the age of fifteen, at diagnosis, the ‘five-year
survival rate’ in the developed world is on the average eighty percent (80%). In
2012, about 14.1 million new cases of cancer occurred globally, not including
skin cancer. Statistics show that, the outbreak caused about 8.2 million deaths
or 14.6% of all human deaths in the aforementioned year. This implies that, in
near future if adequate care is not taken, cancer cases might be responsible to
over twenty per cent (20%) of death rate in the world.
The most common kinds of cancer in males include lung cancer, prostate
cancer, colorectal cancer, and stomach cancer; whilst in females, breast,
colorectal, lung, and cervical cancers are mostly common. Diagnosing a new
cancer in pregnant women is difficult, because any symptom is commonly assumed
to be a normal discomfort associated with pregnancy. In children, acute
lymphoblastic leukemia and brain tumors are mainly common except in Africa
where non-Hodgkin lymphoma occurs more often.
The risk of cancer increases significantly in regard to the age of the
potential sufferer, and several cancers occur more often in developed
countries. Unequivocally, cancer rate increases on a daily basis as more people
live to an old age and as lifestyle changes are regularly witnessed in the
developing world.
As the World Cancer Day is being observed tomorrow, there is an urgent
need for every one of us to detest any form of uncalled or unhealthy lifestyle
such as tobacco smoking, intake of hard drugs like cocaine, regular consumption
of alcoholic drinks and what have you, that could jeopardize our precious
lives. In the same vein, there’s need for us to be extremely mindful of whatever
we eat or drink at all times. We should also not forget that adequate and
instant treatment of any illness or infection we noticed in our body remains
one of the major avenues of embracing a cancer-free society.
Those suffering from the disease ought to continually and strictly
adhere to their treatment procedures and should endeavour to consult their
physicians when necessary. They should as well ensure that they are placed on
proper dietary like regular consumption of vegetables and fruits. In addition,
we are expected to comprehend the fact that early detection of cancer enables
adequate eradication of the disease from the body of the sufferer; thus there
is need for us, irrespective of age, to go for constant cancer testing or
screening.
On this note, I call on all health
practitioners and stakeholders to, at all cost, strengthen their crusade
targeted to educate the entire public on the dangers and possible causes of
cancer, so that, we shall all live to celebrate a cancer-free world as it is
widely anticipated by the global society. Don’t forget; prevention is no doubt,
far better than cure. Think about it!
Follow
me: @mediambassador
http://facebook.com/fred4nwaozor
No comments:
Post a Comment