World Cancer Day
World cancer day is a global event which takes place every year on 4 February to make aware the normal people about the cancer disease and the risk factors that can cause cancer and the various preventive measures one can take to avoid the killer cancer disease. Cancer is the number two cause of death in the world, second only to heart diseases. Every year, around 15 lakh new cancer patients are registered in India of which 8-9 lakh patients lose the battle against the life-threatening disease. Cancer is the result of uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells, cancer fundamentally affects the way our cells grow and divide, cancer changes the normal cells in perverse ways. Cancer is a result of DNA damage or genetic mutations in our DNA. There are currently around 200 types of cancers.
It is usually not possible to know exactly why one person develops cancer and another doesn’t. But research has shown that certain risk factors may increase a person’s chances of developing cancer. Several factors, including age, genetics and, environmental and lifestyle factors, can influence an individual’s risk of developing cancer. Though ageing is an unavoidable risk of cancer, avoidable risk factors like a healthy lifestyle is the key to cancer prevention says the doctor. Few of these avoidable risk factors include
Smoking: It is estimated that 33% of cancer cases are associated with tobacco smoke exposure or chewing tobacco and experts conclude that tobacco is the single largest, avoidable, cause of cancer worldwide. Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and of these about 70 of which are known to cause cancer. On an average the life expectancy of a smoker is 10 years less than a nonsmoker. Shockingly, smoking is responsible for 80% of lung cancers.
Air Pollution: We breathe in about 10, 000 liters of air each day, depending on how active we are. With each breath, we draw in life-saving oxygen along with carcinogenic contaminants in the air that damage the body and particularly the lungs over time even when present in trace amounts. Air contaminants mostly come from the combustion of fuels for heating, cooking, power generation, industrial pair pollution and vehicular traffic pollution. Diesel exhaust fumes have more than 30 different chemicals inside that can cause cancer.
Obesity: Diet, body weight and exercise, researchers have investigated the potential link between an individual’s diet and cancer and their conclusion was that excess body fat can increase a person’s risk of cancer. Being overweight can put you at increased risk for developing breast, colon, rectum, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, and other cancers.
Alcohol: When it comes to alcohol, cancer risk increases in a dose-dependent manner; the more alcohol consumed, the greater the risk of developing cancer. Regular, heavy alcohol consumption can up your risk of developing several different kinds of cancer, including throat, liver, breast and colon cancer. Studies show that cancers are more common in people who drink than those who don’t.
Plastic: Why plastic is dangerous? About fifty-five to sixty different chemicals are produced when plastic is heated. When you heat food in a takeaway container or serve it hot on a plastic container, the process mixes various chemicals with your food. Eating such food can lead to various health issues and cancers like breast cancers, colon cancer and prostate cancers. People today usually use plastic containers to store warm leftovers or plastic cups to drink hot coffee. The leaching process of chemicals into your food/drink takes only a little heat to start. Even if the food is kept in the refrigerator in a plastic container while the food is still warm the heat from the food can cause harm.
Stress: Most of the recent researches are focused on stress reduction to prevent occurrence of cancer. There are various ways for self-healing. Yoga works a long away for prevention of cancer. If you are a cancer survivor or know of one, easy yoga poses can help them encourage resilience and face the hurdle calmly. Few yoga practices like yoga mudra that can help in minimizing cancer risk. According the yogic philosophy, there are five vital pranas (vital energy) in the body – Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana. These five pranas (Pancha Prana Vayu) are closely interlinked with our physical and mental energy. A synergy between these pranic forces is important to align our cells. This balance also ensures an uninterrupted flow of healing vital energy within the body. This can be obtained by regular yoga and meditation.
Genetic: Some cancer risk is passed down from one generation to the next. Genetic mutations play a key role in about 10% of all cancers. Evidently, if a patient already has a family history of cancer or is genetically susceptible, an unhealthy lifestyle and poor diet only help to worsen the risk and trigger the ‘switching on’ of bad genes. For example, certain kinds of breast cancer are a result of mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
Vaccine: Cancer of the Cervix is one of the most common cancers in women in India. It is a preventable cancer. This cancer is most commonly caused by a virus called HPV. There is an effective vaccine against this virus making it a preventable cancer by vaccinating a subset of population along with awareness about good personal hygiene, safe sexual practices and, of course, regular screening with the PAP smear. Other vaccine is a Hepatitis B vaccine. This vaccine prevents hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Long-lasting infection with HBV can cause liver cancer.
How can one reduce the risk of cancer?
Do not smoke. Do not indulge in tobacco chewing. Maintain a healthy body weight & be physically active and limit sedentary behavior. Adequate sleep is a must to keep good health. Adopt a healthy diet, eat whole grains, pulses, vegetables and fruits.
Early signs of cancer: The most common presentation of cancer may be: breathlessness, unexplained vaginal bleeding, persistent heartburn or indigestion, change in voice or hoarseness, changes in bowel movements, persistent bloating, difficulty swallowing, sores that won’t heal, mouth or tongue ulcer that won’t heal, unusual breast changes, blood in stools, unexplained weight loss, new mole or changes to a mole, coughing up blood, persistent cough. If any one of these signs and symptoms appear one must consult the doctor.