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FAQs About Cancer
Q: What is
cancer?
Cancer develops when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out
of control. It is important to understand that cancer is not one
disease, but actually hundreds of different diseases. All require
unique approaches to prevention, detection and treatment.
Although there are many types of cancer, they
all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells. Cancer
cells often travel to other parts of the body where they begin to
grow and replace normal tissue. This process, called metastasis,
occurs as the cancer cells enter the bloodstream or lymph vessels
of the body.
Q: Why do cancer cells develop?
Cancer cells develop because of damage to DNA. Normally, the body
is able to repair damaged DNA. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA
is not repaired. People can inherit damaged DNA, but it is more
likely that DNA becomes damaged by exposure to something in the
environment.
Q: Is a tumor the same as cancer?
Cancer usually forms as a tumor, but not in all cases. Some cancers,
such as leukemia, do not form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells
involve the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through
other tissues where they grow. In fact, not all tumors are cancerous.
Benign (non-cancerous) tumors do not spread to other parts of the
body (metastasize) and, with very rare exceptions, are not life
threatening.
Q: Who gets cancer?
More than 1.3 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year.
Approximately one out of every two men and one out of every three
women will develop some type of cancer during their lifetime. Anyone
can get cancer at any age; however, nearly 80 percent of all cancers
occur in people over the age of 55. Although cancer occurs in Americans
of all racial and ethnic groups, the rate of cancer occurrence (called
the incidence rate) varies from group to group.
Q: What causes cancer?
Some types of cancer are caused by lifestyle choices, such as smoking.
Alcohol consumption also has been shown to increase a person's chance
of developing cancer. Radiation can cause cancer, as can too much
exposure to sunlight without any protection. In many cases, the
exact cause of cancer remains a mystery. Certain changes in cells
can lead to cancer, but scientists do not yet know exactly how this
happens.
Q: Can cancer be prevented?
Current research indicates that there are four cancers that can
be impacted through prevention and detection methods—cervical,
breast, colon and skin. Methods such as Pap smears, mammography,
colonoscopy and physical examinations have proven beneficial in
preventing cancers from developing and treating cancers at their
earliest stages. Evidence also suggests that common-sense approaches
to many lifestyle choices can make a difference in lowering cancer
risk. These choices include consuming a low-fat diet, exercising,
avoiding tobacco products and excessive alcohol consumption. Studies
are ongoing in these areas to determine the exact link between lifestyle
choices and the risk of developing cancer.
Q: What are the risk factors for cancer?
A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of getting
a disease. Some risk factors can be changed and others cannot. Risk
factors for cancer can include a person's age, gender and family
medical history. Others are linked to cancer-causing factors in
the environment or to lifestyle choices. Those with a family history
of cancer should consider beginning routine screenings earlier in
life than is typically recommended.
Q: Why does Nevada rank 15th in mortality
data?
Nevada has the fifth highest incidence of smoking
per capita.
Nevada has the ninth lowest expenditure on
tobacco control per capita.
In spite of the high incidence of smoking per
capita, lung cancer mortality is down slightly between 1992 and
2000.
Only 16 states rank lower than Nevada in mammograms
for women 40 and older.
Only 19 states rank lower than Nevada in PSA
tests for men 50 and older.
The state of Nevada needs to focus efforts
on educating the community regarding cancer prevention and detection.
Q: Do different kinds of cancer have
different risk factors?
Yes. Some of the major risk factors include the following:
Cancers of the lung, mouth, larynx, bladder,
kidney, cervix, esophagus and pancreas can be related to tobacco
use.
Skin cancer is related to unprotected exposure
to strong sunlight.
Breast cancer risk factors include age, changes
in hormone levels throughout life, obesity and physical activity.
Also, women with a mother or sister who has had breast cancer are
more likely to develop the disease themselves.
Prostate cancer risk factors include age, race
(it is more common among African-American men than among Caucasian
men) and a high-fat diet. Also, men with a father or brother who
has had prostate cancer are more likely to get prostate cancer themselves.
Q: Can cancer be beaten?
Millions of people are living with cancer or have been cured of
the disease. In fact, there are nearly nine million cancer survivors
in America. The sooner cancer is diagnosed and the sooner treatment
begins, the better a patient's chances are of a remission. That
is why early detection of cancer is such an important weapon in
the fight against the disease. Such significant strides have been
made in the battle against cancer that it has become a chronic disease,
much like diabetes. It can be managed with successful outcomes.
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