Prevention of Cancer: Cancer is such a disease, whose name itself is enough to scare. Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. According to WHO, every year 16 million i.e. 1 crore 60 lakh cancer related cases are reported in India. Six types of cancers are prevalent among them, which include lung cancer, mouth cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer.
Dr. Vikas Kumar, who is famous for spreading awareness on health issues through his X handle, has now told many important things related to cancer, knowing which this deadly disease can be avoided. Dr. Vikas Kumar is a Neuro and Spine Surgeon at K RIMS Hospital, Ranchi. He has also been the former president of IMA Ranchi. Let us know why cancer occurs and how it can be avoided.
What is cancer?
Continuous division of cells in our body is a normal process, over which the body has complete control. But when the body does not control the cells of a particular organ, they start growing abnormally and take the form of a tumor, this is called cancer.
Generally, there are two types of tumors occurring in cancer. Of these, the first is a benign tumor and the second is a malignant tumor. Malignant tumors spread to other parts of the body whereas benign tumors do not.
What are the causes of cancer?
There are mainly two reasons behind cancer. First, some substances are called carcinogens/risk factors.
Second bad genetic gene i.e. DNA.
If we talk about the factors that increase the risk of cancer, they are as follows:-
Eating tobacco or smoking cigarettes - Long-term consumption of tobacco or its products like cigarettes, gutkha or chewing gum etc. can cause lung or mouth cancer.
Alcohol - Drinking alcohol for a long time increases the risk of liver cancer. It also increases the risk of cancer in many other parts of the body.
Viruses – Viruses that are responsible for cancer include hepatitis B and C. They are responsible for up to 50 percent of liver cancer. Also, human papilloma virus is responsible for cervical cancer in 99.9 percent of the cases.
Unhealthy Foods - Unhealthy foods or refined foods, which have low fiber content, increase the chances of colon cancer.
X-ray/CT scan - Exposure to radiation due to frequent CT scans or X-rays also increases the risk of cancer.
Bad genetic genes (DNA) – Genes are also a major cause of cancer. If someone in the family has a history of cancer, the chances of getting this disease are higher. We can understand this from the given 2 hit theory.
First of all, you should understand that our cells have two genetic genes for some purpose, out of which one genetic gene comes from the mother and the other genetic gene comes from the father. If the parents are normal, the child would also be normal and for cancer to occur, both genetic genes must be defective.
But if one of the parents has a bad genetic gene, then there is a possibility that the child will inherit one bad genetic gene and one good genetic gene. In such children, the risk of getting cancer increases due to just one bad gene.
It is worth noting that risk factors play a very important role in both the cases. However, this theory does not apply to all cancers. In many cases, children of parents with cancer are completely normal. I
How many stages of cancer are there?
These are divided into four stages on the basis of severity. Which are as follows:-
Stage 0 – In this stage you do not have cancer. But some abnormal cells may be present in the body, which can sometimes increase the chances of cancer.
Stage 1 - In the first stage, the cancer tumor is small. In this, cancer cells are spread in only one area.
Stages 2 and 3 – In the second and third stages, the tumor in your body grows larger and the cancer cells spread to nearby organs and lymph nodes.
Stage 4 – In the fourth stage, cancer is in its last stage. It is also called metastatic cancer. This stage can prove fatal. In this the cancer has spread to other organs.
What is the treatment for cancer?
Cancer is treated based on its type, stage and location. These doctors decide which treatment is right for your cancer. Generally cancer is treated by surgery, non-surgery, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and stem cell transplant etc.
How to avoid cancer?
Cancer can be avoided by changing your lifestyle, adopting a healthy lifestyle and reducing risk factors: -
avoid alcohol consumption
avoid smoking
eat fiber rich diet
Avoid consuming too much fat
take all vaccines regularly
avoid stress
keep getting your bmi checked
adopt healthy lifestyle
Drink plenty of water so that your body can detoxify.
Keep in mind that you have to drink so much water so that your urine remains white/water colored and does not turn yellow.
There are many substances in our house which prevent cancer like turmeric, lemon, amla, basil, include them in your diet.
Disclaimer: This post is only to spread awareness about cancer among people. Do not forget to consult a specialist doctor for any type of disease including cancer and get your treatment done accordingly.
(Courtesy of Dr. Vikas Kumar's post)
Photo Credits: Google
