Cancer: A Global Threat - Exploring Causes, Theories, and Cures - Paper Sample

Introduction

The term cancer is quite broad. It describes a disease that results in the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells anywhere in the body. These abnormal cells are referred to as cancerous cells or tumor cells. Cancer is a deadly disease, and according to research, it is the leading cause of death worldwide (Cormier et al. 453). Many theories have risen explaining the future of cancer and the developing inventions of cures globally.

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Even though cancerous cells may appear in one area, they may easily break away from this original mass of cells and spread to the other areas through the lymph nodes. This is why some doctors opt to remove these lymph nodes to reduce the spread of these cells. E.g., breast cancer on one breast can spread to the other breast easily. Cancer cells divide uncontrollably, resulting in tumors, impairments, and damage to the immune system (Lowrance et al. 1366). Cancer is confined to human beings, but animals and any other living organisms are prone to getting the disease.

Human Body and Cancer Cells

The body of a human being contains cells that die at some point to make others. When the cells are affected with cancer, they lack the components that instruct them to die; hence they keep on multiplying in the body and using the oxygen and nutrients that would instead nourish the cells. some cancer types cause fast cell development, while others cause cells to develop and partition slower. (Zouhairi, Aline, and Michael 15). Also, certain forms of cancer result in visible growths i.e., tumors while others do not e.g., Leukemia.

A person can have more than one cancer at a time, which may be caused by either age, race, environmental factors, diet, and even genetics. Among these causes, some are preventable, while others are not. One can prevent cancer contamination by reducing heavy alcohol consumption, which causes liver cirrhosis, avoiding smoking of cigarettes to avoid lung cancer, and reducing excess body weight, i.e., obesity. Having a balanced diet to avoid poor nutrition will also help to prevent cancer.

Ways of Cancer Infection

There are also unpreventable ways to get infected, which include: an age that is the most significant risk factor. Statistics state that 87% of the cancer was found in people age 50 and above (Falzone, Salvatore, and Massimo 1300). Chemicals or toxic compound exposures e.g., tobacco or cigarette smoke, can also cause lung cancer. Ionization radiation e.g., Ultraviolet rays from sunlight and x-ray emitting sources, is proven to cause cancer. Furthermore, pathogens like hepatitis viruses' B and C will lead to cancer. Besides, several cancers are linked to human genes e.g., Breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there are over 100 types of cancer. (Garcia, and Brian 2583). These include breast cancer that is leading cancer in the world. Prostate cancer in men which is very common, Colorectal cancer is also known as Colon cancer is prevalent in both male and females, skin cancer which may be characterized by skin irritations, patches or even open sores, Leukemia that is very common in children, lung cancer caused by smoking, brain tumors, etc. Each type of cancer has different signs and symptoms e.g., fatigue, weight loss, skin changes, change in bowel or bladder function, unusual bleeding, lumps or tissue masses, etc.

Cancer symptoms and treatment depends on the cancer type, its stage, and the patient's overall health. Innovative doctors are researching new medications and treatments for cancer, and treatment is continually improving with time. There are different approaches a doctor may use on a patient, although one treatment on a patient may not suit the other patient. To maximize effectiveness, the doctor may opt to use more than one approach on a patient.

Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy is the most often used treatment that kills the rapidly dividing cells with medication that shrink the tumors. Side effects of chemotherapy can be severe e.g., hair loss, easy bruising and bleeding, nausea and vomiting, appetite changes, and constipation. The stem cell is also a recommendable treatment for people with a blood-related type of cancer e.g., Leukemia and lymphoma. It involves removing cells that chemotherapy has already destroyed (e.g., the red or white blood cells). These cells are strengthened and then put back in the body.

Radiation therapy is another type of medication that uses ionizing radiation to kill cancerous cells. This medication may also be used to shrink tumors before surgery or reduce tumor-related symptoms. Its side effects are dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, mouth and gum sores, and even tooth decay. Hormones therapy is also a recommended treatment that involves the patient taking medication that changes how different hormones work and interfere with the body’s ability to produce them. The hormones may either be added, blocked, or removed from the body to stop the cancerous cell from spreading (Lowrance et al. 1366).

Precision or personalized medicine involves administering medicine based on a person's genes or the genes in their cancer cells. The doctors can select the most likely treatment to help the patient based on the genetic understanding of the disease. It is not yet proven that this type of treatment can treat all types of cancers. Besides, surgery is a part of the treatment that applies if a person has a tumor. The lymph nodes may be removed to reduce the spread of these cancerous cells in the body.

Conclusion

In conclusion, cancer treatments are continually upgrading, and even better treatments are now available, leading to better patient outcomes. Although there is no cure yet, cancer patients' lifespan is improving to even five years through the upgrading methods of treatment. With the new treatment approaches being concocted each day, the specialists gravitate toward the future where cancer will be treatable.

Works Cited

Cormier O'Connor, Annette M., et al. "Eliciting preferences for alternative cancer drug treatments: framing, medium, and rater variables." Medical Decision Making 5.4 (1985): 453-463. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0272989X8500500408

El Zouhairi, Majed, Aline Charabaty, and Michael J. Pishvaian. "Molecularly targeted therapy for metastatic colon cancer: proven treatments and promising new agents." Gastrointestinal cancer research: GCR 4.1 (2011): 15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3070284/

Falzone, Luca, Salvatore Salomone, and Massimo Libra. "Evolution of cancer pharmacological treatments at the turn of the third millennium." Frontiers in Pharmacology 9 (2018): 1300. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2018.01300/full

Garcia, Jorge A., and Brian I. Rini. "Castrationresistant prostate cancer: Many treatments, many options, many challenges ahead." Cancer 118.10 (2012): 2583-2593. https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/cncr.26582

Lowrance, William T., et al. "Comparative effectiveness of prostate cancer surgical treatments: a population-based analysis of postoperative outcomes." The Journal of urology 183.4 (2010): 1366-1372.