We have made significant progress over the years in regards to cancer prevention, identification and treatment. With the help of technology, we are able to diagnose more cancers so the absolute numbers of cases may have gone up. However, the actual death rate for most, but not all, cancers has gone down. The hardest cancer to treat is still lung cancer (and possibly pancreatic), the hardest to differentiate appears to be prostate while the cancer with the greatest cure rate is breast cancer.
Here is something else that has had an almost 360* change – lifestyle recommendations for prevention of initial cancer, during acute and or chronic treatment of cancer and to prevent cancer recurrence in original or distal site. By that last bit I mean that sometimes a person is seemingly cured of one cancer only to have it reappear in another part of the body.
I wonder if you are going to be surprised by the newer medical advice – maybe it will depend on your age. The research continues to grow and a body of evidence exists to support that what one eats, how much one eats, the weight of a person and the amount of exercise they engage in will affect all of the situations noted earlier. Being overweight WILL increase the risk of cancer in all locations. Eating high fat and high salt foods can affect the inner mechanisms or metabolism of a body and put it at risk for cancerous conditions and exercise is something that is protective. In other words, regular daily exercise creates a system that is better able to fight off disease.
Thus, overweight persons with cancer are often encouraged to lose weight – I KNOW – we have the old image in our heads of people getting chemo and losing a bunch of weight – wasting away, but the treatments have changed and even those that do cause loss of appetite are mediated by drugs that treat the side effects. All of us, cancer patients or no, are encouraged to eat a diet that is more plant than meat based and low in saturated fat, processing, simple carbs and salt. As soon as possible after any invasive treatment, cancer patients are encouraged to begin an exercise program. Research exists to support that this lifestyle change can prevent recurrence of cancer. It is therapeutic. It is a change in thinking but it works.
2 comments:
I like your post. Very well said about cancer. Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.
I like this blog and Its gives nice information regarding cancer, There are so different different types of cancer, and Its very dangerous for every human. Thanks for shearing this information here.
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