This blog addresses how we can be healthier. Cancer will be addressed first because all of us need to be aware that cancer may lurk within us without any telltale symptoms or signs as may occur with other illnesses. Other illnesses, for example, may include my adult-onset diabetes being discovered by a high fasting glucose at the doctor’s visit. With the discovery of my diabetes, I became very aware of my less-than-optimal health and took action to undo the many bad habits that I had acquired over my adult life. But I had over two decades to help me regain better health. Cancer may not allow such a luxury of time to correct anyone’s health. This is because cancer is like a silent invader. It can grow unnoticed, often without clear symptoms until it is advanced. This secretive nature of cancer makes it particularly dangerous because, by the time it is detectable through obvious signs, it is usually in a late rather than early stage. A proactive approach to finding cancer at earlier stages with cancer screens of cervical, breast, colon, and lung cancer has played a crucial role in the decline of cancer death rates. I will discuss this further in my next blog, What Is A Cancer Screen?
So what is cancer? Cancer is a rogue cell that deviates from normal cell behavior. Healthy cells, grow, divide, and die in a controlled manner. A rogue cancer cell grows uncontrollably. Our bodies are made so that our aging or injured cells are replaced by cells of the same kind. However, a cancer cell continues to divide nonstop. It stops listening to the body’s signals that tell it when to stop dividing leading to the formation of tumors.
A couple of examples may best illustrate the next concept of cancer. A relative of mine was diagnosed with a tumor in her brain. She went on to have surgery and was told that her tumor was benign. Her tumor was not cancerous and was of the type of tumor, and in a location that rendered it likely not to return once removed by surgery. If the tumor had been classified as cancerous, a different story would have been apparent. This was the story of an uncle and a cousin of mine who went on to have surgeries for their brain tumors but did not survive because they had cancerous(malignant) brain tumors. Unfortunately, these were detected in a later stage where the process of metastasis had already occurred. Metastasis is a hallmark or unique characteristic of cancer. It is the process by which cancer cells spread from their original location(primary tumor site) to other parts of the body, forming new, secondary tumors. Unfortunately, although much of the original brain tumors for both my relatives were removed, the cancer had had time to metastasize and travel to other parts of the body. It is the process of metastasis that is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths. (see introduction in the following link)https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-020-0134-x Early-stage cancer is generally more treatable and has a higher survival rate than advanced-stage cancer. When detected early, cancer is often confined to its original site and has not yet spread to other parts of the body(metastasized) making it easier to remove or treat effectively.
It is still very important to notice any unusual changes in our body, however, subtle, and be always vigilant, regardless.
Cancer affects all of us in one way or another, even if not individually.https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/understanding-cancer-risk/lifetime-probability-of-developing-or-dying-from-cancer.html