6 Cancer Facts You Should Know

Lisa Franchi May 21, 2015

CANCER. It really is scary. Just the word gives us chills. And it is more common than we think. Statistics show that one in two women, and one in three men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. In 2011, 331,487 people in the UK were diagnosed with cancer, and the most common types were breast, lung, and prostate and bowel cancer.

But cancer is something we shouldn’t be scared about. By educating ourselves, learning about its risk factors, and taking care of our health, we can protect ourselves from the big C.

Below are some facts you should know about cancer.

Cancer is not just a single disease. It is actually a family of over 400 diseases, which is characterised by the growth and spread of abnormal cells. Also, no two types of cancer are exactly the same, which is why there’s no one-size-fits all treatment for this disease.

Scientists have come a long way. Cancer is a disease that has caused great clamour for the past decades. And even though it still claims the lives of millions of people each year, researchers all over the world have come a long way in terms of studying the nature of cancer and developing treatments. At present, people are living longer before despite being diagnosed with cancer, some even survived.

Prevention is critical. Even though there has been a huge development made, prevention is still critical. According to the World Health Organisation, 1/3 of cancers are preventable through healthy lifestyle choices. Observing a healthy, balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting enough rest, limiting alcohol intake, and not smoking are among the best habits that can greatly protect you from cancer.

Immunotherapy is starting to change the way cancer is treated. Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses your body’s own immune system to help fight cancer. This can be done either by boosting the immune system in a very general way, or by training the immune system to attack some part of cancer cells specifically.

Screening is important. Screenings are easy and inexpensive, but unfortunately, lots of people don’t undergo such a very important health check, and it’s because they don’t like the procedures or they can’t seem to find the time. But screening can actually save life.

There is hope. With the growing awareness about cancer, along with the increasing studies, there is a bigger hope for cancer patients. Big developments have been made, some cancers that couldn’t be cured before are being cured now. Whilst it may be impossible to see a world where cancer ceases to exist, it is possible that much more lives can be saved, and millions more will be spared from it.