Speech about Cancer

Introduction

Cancer is currently a major issue globally. Cancer is the leading cause of death in many countries today (Zaorsky et al, 2016). This is because many types of cancers affect individuals. Many countries are considering declaring cancer as a national disaster (Zaorsky et al, 2016). It affects all individuals whether male or female, old or young, active or inactive, and slim or overweight. There is no guarantee for an individual that he/she cannot get cancer. Every person, therefore, is at high risk of getting cancer. However, there are some things you can do to protect yourself. This will help you to lower the risks of getting cancer. This speech, therefore, seeks to highlight more about the major causes of cancer, signs and symptoms and the measures which you can put in place to protect yourself.

Body

As an individual may be many questions have been puzzling in your mind and you try to ask yourself how cancer develops. Maybe you have been asking yourself such kinds of questions now and then and you have not been getting any answer. There may be a growth of abnormal cells in the body. This particular growth of abnormal cells in the body may be uncontrollable. These abnormal cells become cancerous, develop and become cancer cells. Cancer cells will develop as a result of DNA being permanently damaged (Guy Jr et al, 2016). Cancer cells will continue developing until it forms tumors. Cancer develops in a body via some stages.

After cancer cells develop in a certain tissue of the body, it spreads throughout the body. Cancer cells spread rapidly throughout the body. If all body cells are replaced by the cancer cells, then the body will no longer be functioning well. This will expose an individual to a greater risk of death. Cancer cells also replace normal tissues. It is important to note that cancer will be named by the place it started in the body. For example, if the cancer cells started developing in the lungs, it will be named lung cancer. On the other hand, if cancer starts in the colon, then it will be referred to as colon cancer.

There are several signs and symptoms of cancer. The symptoms and signs of cancer are noticeable. Some of the signs and symptoms that you may identify and you should let your doctor check are many. Examples include a lump on any part of your body, changes in your body skin, cough and change in the bowel that last for several weeks, blood in the urine, coughing out blood and a sudden huge loss in weight (Tang et al, 2016). If you observe any of these signs, you should immediately pay a visit to your doctor. I advise you not to ignore any of these signs and symptoms. These signs, however, are not confirmatory that you have cancer. They may be signs and symptoms of other conditions and diseases. The medical professional is therefore supposed to screen your body to find out whether there are cancer cells. If the cancer cells are found in your body, the doctor will go ahead to determine the cancer type, its degree, and the causes. The doctor will also try to establish whether the cancerous cells have multiplied and spread to other tissues, organs, and bones in the body.

The different types of cancers that exist require different types of treatment. There are many different types of cancer because cancer cells have the potential of growing in different tissues and organs of the body. Cancer can be locally, systematically and biologically treated (Lamb et al, 2015). In systematic or local treatment, post-diagnosis is conducted to find the extent, nature, and size of cancer tumors. Radiations and surgery are examples of local cancer treatment (Lamb et al, 2015). In this particular situation, cancer cells are destroyed without affecting other body parts that that cancer cells have not reached. Systematic cancer treatment usually targets the bloodstream in the body. In this particular scenario, toxic drugs are given to the patient. Other common types of cancer treatment include medications, chemotherapy. Biological treatment is one of the latest forms of cancer treatment used (Khalil et al, 2016). In this particular circumstance, therapy is utilized to enhance the capacity of the immune system to fight cancer cells and prevent the growth and spread of cancer cells. Effective cancer treatments may help to prevent cancer cells from spreading further in the body (Khalil et al, 2016). These treatment options vary depending on the extent of cancer spread in your body. It is important to note that cancer can never be cured completely. If the cancer is detected and treated at an early stage, then the chances will be that it can be cured. This will increase the survival chances of the victim surviving and living a longer life. Other factors that determine whether cancer can be cured include the type of cancer, age, the stage that the cancer is, and how a person responds to treatment. If you are diagnosed with cancer and treated, then there are higher chances of it coming backing in the next six years. This justifies why cancer cannot be done away with completely once an individual is diagnosed with it. It is therefore important for you as an individual to go for regular cancer screening. The chances of survival largely depend on the type of cancer, response to treatment and stage of cancer.

Breast and cervical cancers are the leading types of cancer that affect women. Other common types of cancer that most women have been diagnosed with include vaginal cancer, ovarian cancer, cancer of the uterus, colorectal cancer, etc. Prostate cancer affects many men globally. The other types of cancer that affect many men are cancer of the bladder, lung cancer, liver cancer, throat cancer, stomach cancer, skin cancer, etc. Leukemia, lymphoma and brain tumors are other types of cancer that are common these days. These various types of cancers have been on the rise.

Cancer is caused by several factors. Some types of cancers are genetically inherited. Some types of cancer may be passed from one family member to another. This exposes an individual to a greater risk of cancer. It is important for individuals who have a history of cancer to undergo screening tests as early as possible. Other types of cancer may be caused by the kind of lifestyle, gene mutation and also to some point as one grows old he/she is exposed to cancer risk factors. A person who smokes a lot of cigars has higher chances of getting lung cancer. Drinking a lot of alcohol may also cause liver cancer. This is because too much alcohol destroys liver cells. Taking of fatty foods also cause different types of cancer. Advanced age is also cancer causing factor. Studies show that there are high chances of individuals aged 60 years and above to develop cancer. Genes play a significant role in passing cancer from one individual to another. For example, breast cancer is common in women whose relative who is close had ovarian cancer.

Cancer can be prevented in various ways. It is important to prevent cancer than to cure it. One way is for individuals to practice a healthy diet. It is also significant for you to drink less alcohol and avoid smoking. It is also important to engage in regular physical exercises. Regular screening is also an important cancer-preventive measure. I, therefore, urge all of you to put in place all these preventive measures.

Conclusion

Cancer is taking away the lives of many people. Many stakeholders have tried to devise several strategies for tackling cancer. However, most of these strategies have not borne any fruits since many lives are being lost every day due to cancer. Many individuals have incurred a lot of costs trying to treat cancer and finally, they do no succeed. Preventive measures are likely to contain the situation. It is therefore important to avoid the kind of lifestyle that is likely to put you into greater risk of getting cancer.

References

Guy Jr, G. P., Machlin, S. R., Ekwueme, D. U., & Yabroff, K. R. (2015). Prevalence and Costs of Cancer Treatment in the US, 2002− 2006 and 2007− 2011. American journal of preventive medicine, 48(2), 183-187.

Khalil, D. N., Smith, E. L., Brentjens, R. J., & Wolchok, J. D. (2016). The future of cancer treatment: immunomodulation, CARs and combination immunotherapy. Nature reviews Clinical oncology, 13(5), 273.

Lamb, R., Ozsvari, B., Lisanti, C. L., Tanowitz, H. B., Howell, A., Martinez-Outschoorn, U. E., … & Lisanti, M. P. (2015). Antibiotics that target mitochondria effectively eradicate cancer stem cells, across multiple tumor types: treating cancer like an infectious disease. Oncotarget, 6(7), 4569.

Tang, J., Zheng, J. S., Fang, L., Jin, Y., Cai, W., & Li, D. (2015). Tea consumption and mortality of all cancers, CVD and all causes: a meta-analysis of eighteen prospective cohort studies. British Journal of Nutrition, 114(5), 673-683.

Zaorsky, N. G., Churilla, T. M., Egleston, B. L., Fisher, S. G., Ridge, J. A., Horwitz, E. M., & Meyer, J. E. (2016). Death among cancer patients. Annals of Oncology, 28(2), 400-407.