No other word in the lexicon of human diseases strike such fear and anxiety in the minds of people than the C-word, cancer! As much as we may like to avoid discussing it, the fact of life is this: one in three of us would develop a form of cancer during our lifetime. Although this is not my prayer for any of you but epidemiologists have told us that at some point in our lives, we would all lose a friend, a close relative, parents or even children to this condition.

It is imperative therefore that we know and learn more about cancers. Thank God for medical sciences - we now know that cancer is not the inevitable killer it once was. A third of people diagnosed with cancer are still alive five years later – and with some cancers, the survival rates are far higher: e.g. in testicular cancer, it's over 90%. Today, cancer only kills if left untreated or not picked up early through screening tests such as the smear tests (for cervical cancer) and mammograms (for breast cancer).

So, what is cancer?
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cells are the building blocks of living things. Normal cells multiply when the body needs them, and die when the body doesn't. Cancer appears to occur when the growth of cells in the body is out of control and cells divide too rapidly. It can also occur when cells “forget” how to die. When this happens a lump or tumour develops.

Many of such lumps are not dangerous and are called benign tumours. Fibroids that commonly afflict women are benign tumours. They don’t spread further than the area in which they arise. But, some tumours have the potential to spread throughout the body, damaging distant tissues and organs. These are malignant tumours or cancers.

There are many different kinds of cancers. They can develop in almost any organ or tissue, such as the lung, colon, breast, skin, bones, or nerve tissue. Basically, any part of our body that contains living cells.

What are the main symptoms?
Symptoms of cancer depend on the type and location of the tumour. For example, lung cancer can cause coughing, shortness of breath, or chest pain, while colon cancer often causes diarrhea, constipation, and blood in the stool.

Some symptoms are as a result of the cancer having spread further (e.g. bone fracture, coughing up blood, jaundice, lump in the base of the neck). This development is termed metastasis. However, some cancers may not have any symptoms at all until the disease has reached an advanced stage.

Weight loss, loss of appetite, fatigue and malaise are some of the common symptoms in most cancers but do not panic if you develop any of these symptoms as many other mild conditions such as flu or malaria can give these non-specific symptoms.

What is the risk of having cancer?
As I mentioned earlier, one in three people will get cancer at some time in their lives; and one in four will die from the disease. There are 260,000 new cancer cases each year, and this number is evenly distributed between males and females.
What causes cancers?
• Viruses: they are responsible of 15% of cancers worldwide, e.g. Hepatitis B and C viruses, human papilloma virus have been implicated in cervical cancers.
• Nuclear radiation and sunlight: e.g. prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation can cause melanoma.
• Smoking: associated with most cancers but particularly with lung and bladder cancers.
• Alcohol: associated with oral cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancers.
• Chemicals: such as benzene, asbestos and certain poisonous mushrooms and aflatoxins (a poison produced by organisms that can grow on stored peanut).
• Heredity: some cancers are known to run in families such breast, bowel and prostate cancers. This knowledge is now used to help detect early forms of cancers in people with positive family history and has helped save more lives from cancer.
• Obesity: Obese people have more risks of forming cancers. Obesity is associated with bowel cancer, breast cancer and cancer of the womb (endometrium).

So, how can cancer be avoided?
From the list of causes above, you would have realised that it may not be totally possible to avoid developing a cancer in one’s lifetime, however you can take certain measures to reduce the risk.
1. Give up smoking if you are still smoking.
2. Drink alcohol sensibly if you indulge regularly.
3. Avoid obesity by controlling your diet and exercising regularly.
4. Diet control: eat low-fat foods; avoid saturated (animal) fat, Remember, also, to eat high-fibre foods (cereals, fruits and vegetables) and plenty of the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E.
5. If you are fair-skinned, sunbathe sensibly during summer season, covering your skin with sunscreen (minimum factor 15)
6. Attend all your cancer screening tests: Screening tests are now available for some cancers e.g. breast (from age 50), cervix (age 25) and prostate (age 40).

When should I see a doctor if I am suspicious?
Because of the way cancer develops, the sooner a cancer is found, the more easily it can be treated. So, if you are concerned that you may have any of possible symptoms of cancer, see your GP promptly.

The GP will want to know more by examining you and will probably order one or more common tests for cancer to obtain a definite diagnosis. You may also be referred to a specialist cancer doctor (an oncologist) for more assessments.

How can I help myself if I have been given a diagnosis of cancer?
• Find out the facts. Ask your doctor questions about your health, read information sheets and medical reference books, ring help lines, use the Internet (but with caution – there are too much inaccurate information on too many websites).
• Consider complementary therapies as well as conventional treatments.
• Review your diet, changing your diet to something healthier – perhaps by eating less fat, more fruit and more fibre – might make you feel better and could help boost your immune system. Experts are generally sceptical about diets which claim to cure cancer.
• Try to have a positive attitude. Respect your condition, plan around it, but don't let it take over. Cancer – even when you're undergoing gruelling treatment – is only ever part of your life, not all of it.
• Remember that at times you may well feel angry, confused or depressed. That's not surprising. In fact, it's normal. Seek counselling. Counselling, whether after diagnosis, during treatment or many years afterwards, can help patients come to terms with the difficult feelings that having a life-threatening disease like cancer can create.
• Take things one day at a time. Do what you enjoy doing and are able to do. Work if you want to and if it's practical. Talk to your employers if you can't work any longer. Your GP should be able to advise you of any welfare benefits or other help available.
• Have a little of what you fancy. Have sex. Have a glass of wine after a meal. And have a thought for the people who care about you. They may be having trouble coming to terms with what has happened to you and find it difficult to talk about. Bring the subject up. It will help you too.
• Join a support group, where you can meet with other people with cancer. These groups are widely available and are easy to join.
What is in the future?
Advances in both prevention and treatment of cancers continue to improve survival rates of most forms of cancers. In the future, as the genes implicated in various types of cancer are being discovered, it may become possible, in some cases, for the disease to be detected even before the symptoms appear.

My prayer is that God, the Almighty Father, shall continue to open the eyes of understanding of medical scientists and doctors so that more people could be saved from cancers and bring an end to the suffering of loss endured by families and the people whose lives have been cut short by cancer.

Please visit www.askthedoctor.org.uk to read more about treatment options for cancers and other diseases on the A-Z of Health pages of the website.


*** This article is dedicated to the memory of my junior brother – Olakunle, who died of Leukaemia (cancer of the blood) at the age of 17 years. May his innocent soul continue to rest in peace (Amen).