Cancer is currently the number two killer of people in the United States, second only to heart disease. In the year 2009 alone an estimated 1,479,370 people were diagnosed with cancer and 562, 340 died from the disease.
It is defined in the Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary as “a malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis”. In easier terms, this means cancer is a abnormal, uncontrolled growth of damaged cells somewhere in the body that can either be contained or can spread to other parts of the body.
Cancer sounds relatively harmless- just a growth in your tissue. But it’s not. It is very serious and often times leads to death of the patient, especially after the cancer spreads to a vital organ of the body. There are no known causes of cancer, but certain things do put you more at risk for cancer. These things include the things you eat, your phyical activity, your genetics, etc. (See post entitled “To reduce the Risk” for more info)
As previously stated, some people have greater risks for this disease because of their genetics and family history. If your family has a history of cancer, especially one specific type, you should be very aware of the risks, the symptoms, the prevention, the diagnosis, and the treatment of cancer. This way you can best try to prevent it and if it still shows up, you will have a greater chance of survival.
