Introduction
According to WHO, cancer is a leading cause of death that is nearly one in six deaths in 2020. Cancer is a scary monster that can make our lives in chaos and lose our dreams.
Cancer is one of the critical illnesses like coronary artery disease and chronic kidney disease. Those critical illnesses can make us not only drained of energy both physically and mentally but also financial problems and family burdens. The costs of cancer treatments are skyrocketing and it left our family in financial loss and burdens to our beloved ones. So prevention is better than cure for cancer.
In this article, we will highlight what cancer is, causes, how to treat and prevent.
Contents
What is cancer?
Cancer is the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and spread throughout your body. This is the common cause of death for cancer. Cancer can happen everywhere in the body.
What causes cancer?
Cancer is caused by changes to the DNA within cells and this is called mutations.
A gene mutation allows a cell to grow and divide more rapidly. This creates many new cells that all have that same mutation. And they make mistakes when repairing DNA errors.
Gene mutations can occur for several reasons, for instance you may be born with a genetic mutation that you inherited from your parents or a number of forces can cause gene mutations, such as smoking, radiation, exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, obesity and a lack of exercise.
What are the risk factors for cancer?
- Age
Cancer can take decades to develop. That's why most people diagnosed with cancer are 65 or older. But it does not mean that cancer is an adult disease — cancer can be diagnosed at any age.
- Lifestyle
Certain lifestyle choices are known to increase your risk of cancer. Smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, excessive exposure to the sun, being obese, and having unsafe sex can contribute to cancer.
- Family history
Only a small portion of cancers are due to an inherited condition. If cancer is common in your family, it's possible that mutations can be passed through the generations. You should have genetic testing to see your risk of having certain cancers. But having an inherited genetic mutation doesn't necessarily mean you'll get cancer.
- Health conditions
Some chronic health conditions, such as ulcerative colitis, can increase your risk of developing certain cancers. Talk to your doctor about your risk.
- Environment
The environment around you may contain harmful chemicals that can increase your risk of cancer. Even if you don't smoke, you might inhale secondhand smoke and increase your risk of cancer. Chemicals in your workplace, such as asbestos and benzene, also are associated with an increased risk of cancer.
What are the symptoms of cancer?
Signs and symptoms of cancer will vary depending on the types of cancer. Some general signs and symptoms associated with cancer are:
- Fatigue
- Feeling of lump over the body
- Unintended weight loss
- Yellowing of the skin, sores that won't heal, or changes to existing moles
- Changes in bowel or bladder habits
- Persistent cough
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hoarseness
- Persistent indigestion
- Persistent muscle or joint pain
- Persistent, unexplained fevers
- Easy bruising
These are the common signs and symptoms and if you have these for a long time, you should suspect cancer.
How is cancer diagnosed and treated?
If you face above symptoms frequently, you should see the doctor. The doctor will begin a cancer diagnosis by doing a complete physical examination. They may also need to do blood tests for cancer, imaging tests (like CT scans, MRI, ultrasound), biopsy and genetic testing.
The tests will vary according to types of cancer.
The treatments also depend on types of cancer, staging of cancer and patient’s general conditions. Common cancer treatments are surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, hormonal therapy and bone marrow transplant.
There are various types of investigations and treatments for cancer and they cost a lot when you start cancer treatments. The costs are too expensive and it might empty your savings. If you do not have any plans in case you have cancer in the future, invest with PRUFlexiprotect CI.
Learn more about PRUFlexiprotect CI here.
How can cancer be prevented?
Though it is difficult to prevent cancer 100%, we can reduce the risks of getting cancer. Cancer risk can be reduced by:
- not using tobacco
- maintaining a healthy body weight
- eating a healthy diet
- doing physical activity on a regular basis
- avoiding or reducing consumption of alcohol;
- getting vaccinated against HPV and hepatitis B
- avoiding from exposure to the sun
- reducing exposure to outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution
All these can reduce your risks of getting cancer.
Ready to Explore Your Options?
Cancer is a life changing event. Having knowledge on causes of cancer, symptoms, treatment and prevention will help you get awareness on cancer.
No one knows when cancer will show up in your life. Treating cancer can be expensive and it will leave your family into burdens including financial burden. PRUFlexiprotect CI is a good option to prepare for such unexpected critical illness. This plan will help you to focus on your treatment and recovery without stressing out about financial problems.
