CANCER

The prevention is in you!

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, cancer causes roughly 23 percent of all deaths in the US. It is the second leading cause of death and the leading cause of death in children ages one to 14 in our country.

In 2010 there were reportedly 1.5 million new cases of cancer diagnosed in America and approximately 570,000 died from cancer in that same year.

Cancer will effect about three out of four families in the United States. That means that one in every two men and one of every three women will develop cancer.

Research predicts that in the very near future cancer will be the number one cause of death in the world.

About 60 to 80 percent of all cancers can be prevented. All it takes is to be aware of your risks and follow the simple recommendations to prevent cancer.

Here are the facts:

References: textbook pages 367 and 391

WHAT IS

CANCER

ANYWAY?!

Photo Credits: Microsoft Clip Art

CANCER IS AN UNCONTROLLED GROWTH

AND SPREAD OF ABNORMAL CELLS

The picture on the left shows what normal and cancer cells look like under a microscope.

As you can see normal cells are round and only have one nucleus where as cancer cells have multiple nuclei and lost their nice round shape.

Reference: Textbook page 365Photo credits: www.visualsonline.cancer.gov/

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA) controls the growth of cells.

When the nuclei loses the ability to control cell growth and regulation, mutant cells start to develop and cell division is disrupted.

This is when cells can start to grow out of control and uncharacteristically, forming what is called a tumor.

A tumor is a mass of cells that can either be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

References: textbook page 365Photo credits: www.healthspablog.org/

There are tumor suppressor genes within the DNA and when there are defects in these genes, DNA starts to alter. That is when cancer starts to form. These defects can come from many different causes external and internal. The then defective DNA divides and mutates until a malignant tumor is made. These tumors make an enzyme, known as Telomerase that seems to keep the cancer cells from dying.

Reference: Textbook page 365-366Photo Credits: www.drdavesbest.com

HERE IS A PICTURE OF SOME

CAUSES OF CANCERS

There are outside causes like UV-rays and those that can come from

our diet (internal) that we can control by avoiding excess sun

exposure and eating a healthy diet.Reference: Textbook page 374Photo Credits: www.cisncancer.org

CANCER ALL BEGINS WITH THE ABNORMAL

GROWTH OF ONE CELL

Once that begins that one cell can multiply into billions and billions of cancer cells. At this point the malignant tumor has been confined to one area and has not spread. This stage is known as carcinoma in situ. It is no treat to the health of the human, but once oxygen and other nutrients enter the cells that is when growth and the spread of the cancer occurs.

Reference: textbook page 366Photo Credits: www.web-books.com

AFTER SOME TIME THE CANCER CELLS PRODUCE

CHEMICALS THAT INCREASE THE FORMATION OF

BLOOD VESSELS INTO THE MALIGNANT TUMOR

When the formation of angiogenesis (blood vessels) occurs, the cancer cells can now break from the tumor and spread to the rest of the body. The process of the moment of cells from one part of the human body to another is called metastasis. When cancer cells metastasize, it can develop in other parts of the body causing the treatment of the metastasized cells harder to cure.

Reference: Textbook page 366-367Photo Credits: www.iayork.com/

Photo Credits: www.healthtap.com/

ONE OF THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF CANCER

IS LUNG CANCER

Photo Credits: www.karunaflame.com/

LUNG CANCER

RISKS

1. Smoking cigarettes, cigars, and pipes increase the risk of cancer. A study shows that about 9 out of 10 tobacco smokers cases get lung cancer.

2. The length and the amount of times a person smokes increases their risk of lung cancer. The more a person smokes per day rises their risk significantly as well as the number of years a person has been smoking.

3. A nonsmoker who lives with a smoker has a 20 percent greater risk of getting lung cancer than living with nonsmoker roommates.

4. The exposer to radon gas, which is greater in homes of smokers.

Reference: Textbook page 377

Smoking is a huge risk for lung cancer. Did you know that smoking can cause other cancers and diseases?

Photo Credits: www.cdc.gov/

WARNING SIGNS

THAT IT MIGHT

BE LUNG CANCER

1. Any unexplained/out of the ordinary symptoms that were not present before like constant diarrhea and extreme weight lose without trying.

2. Coughing up blood.

3. A persistent cough.

4. Feeling short of breath.

5. Constant pain in chest and back.

6. Reoccurring Bronchitis and/or Pneumonia.

7. Abnormal fatigue.

References: Textbook page 379

Do you know what’s in your cigarette?

Photo Credits: http://www.wctu.org

FACTORS THAT CAN

LEAD TO PREVENTION

OF LUNG CANCER

1. STOP smoking now! A person with ten years of not smoking after quitting reaches the same health as a person who has never smoked.

2. If you don’t smoke, NEVER start. It is a hard and harmful habit to quite.

3. Get your home or dorm tested for radon gas. They should be tested periodically for the gas.

4. Exercise you right for clean air. Go where there is not chance for secondhand smoke.

5. Get regular exercise. Exercising increases a person’s lung and body health.

Reference: Textbook pages 376-377Photo Credits: www.smokeforwhat.com

If you don’t quite smoking it could be…

…For you …

Photo Credits: www.medicaly.net

Stop smoking now (if you do) and don’t start (if you don’t).

Get plenty of exercise, at least three times a week.

Eat a healthy balanced diet.

Limit your exposer to sun to the recommended amount (10 to 20 minutes of unprotected sun exposer).

Schedule a cancer screening with your doctor today!

Prevent cancer now by:

Reference: textbook page 374

The next time you have questions regarding lung and all cancers and how to prevent them be sure to check out the facts at:

• http://www.cancer.org/cancer/index• http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/cancerlibrary/what-is-cancer• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/DS01076/DSECTION=pr

evention• http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/basic_info/prevention.htm

Ref. Hoeger & Hoeger (12th ed.) Lifetime Physical Fitness & Wellness