The World Health Organisation and Cancer - A Summary
By Simon Mitchell
A summary of what The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.)
have discovered about cancer from scientific research:
Cancer is largely preventable: by stopping smoking,
providing healthy food and avoiding the exposure to carcinogens.
Some of the most frequent cancer types are curable
by surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The chance of cure increases
substantially if cancer is detected early.
Quality of life of cancer patients and their families
can be greatly improved by the provision of palliative care.
Cancer control is a public health approach aimed at
reducing causes and consequences of cancer by translating our knowledge
into practice.
Recommendations from the World Health Organisation
concerning cancer include action in the following areas:
- minimising or eliminating exposure to cancer causes
- reducing individual susceptibility to the effects of these causes
- serving the greatest public health potential
- identifying the most cost-effective long-term cancer control
- tobacco control
- obesity control
- control of composition of the diet
- control of consumption of alcoholic beverages
The World Health Organisation sees cancer prevention
programmes as part of integrated, national strategies. The risks they
identify for cancer above are common to all noncommunicable diseases
including heart, diabetes and respiratory problems.
Prevention programmes for all chronic diseases are
able to use the same surveillance and health promotion techniques.
According to WHO recognised causes of cancer include:
- occupational and environmental exposure to a number of chemicals
- links between a number of infections and certain types of cancer
- parasitic infection schistosomiasis
- exposure to some forms of ionising radiation
- excessive ultraviolet radiation
W.H.O. treatment priorities
Early detection improves chances of survival, but
WHO stress ‘only when linked to effective treatment’.
The WHO want to increase our awareness of the signs and symptoms of
cancer and help set up regular screening of apparently healthy individuals.
Accurate diagnosis of cancer is the first step to
effective management. Care of cancer patients starts with recognition
of some kind of abnormality in the body, followed by a visit to a
health care facility for diagnosis. Once a diagnosis is confirmed
then the disease is ‘staged’. The patient might be referred
to a specialist cancer treatment centre.
Orthodox treatment for the cancer is likely to involve
a mixture of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and
surgery. The primary objectives of cancer treatment are: cure, the
prolongation of life and improvement of the quality of life.
Survival rates
Survival rates in standard treatments vary according
to the variety of cancer. For example the advanced treatment of cancer
of the uterine corpus, breast, testis, and melanoma may produce a
5-year survival rate of 75% or more. Survival rates in cancer of the
pancreas, liver, stomach, and lung are generally less than 15%.
Because of the nature of cancer, many patients present
themselves with advanced disease. The only realistic treatment for
these patients is pain relief and palliative care. For insurance purposes,
cancer is often regarded as incurable.
This is an extract from 'Don't Get Cancer' a new
ebook available only at: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/don'tget1.html
Did
you know that 60-70% of cancers are due to dietary factors? And, that
many of these may be prevented by changes in dietary habits? That's
right, and now there is an "answer book" for those who want
to learn more about taking control of their health.
Your Diet and Cancer is a practical tutorial designed
to give the reader valuable information about how cancers develop
and how simple changes in diet may prevent serious illness. Not to
be confused with a medical journal full of technical jargon, this
book is jam-packed with over 60 pages of down to earth information
and beautiful illustrations of the salient points.
The ideas and suggestions contained in Your Diet and
Cancer are designed to help you make informed decisions about your
health. Cancer is one of the main causes of death among humans and
your way of consuming food affects the risk. Do yourself a favor and
take control today!
