Cancer is a disease that has caused heartache for friends and family all across the world. Sadly, you’ve seen this terrible disease, in one way or another, destroy people’s lives. Although we have been dealing with this horrible disease for many years, cancer is in fact a secular and contemporary issue; the amount of people who are being diagnosed with cancer is still increasing throughout the world. With this increase however, also comes the good news that the survival rate is increasing as well. Doctors are closer than ever to finding a cure for the dreadful disease.

A common question that many people have is, “What is cancer anyways?” Without getting too technical, “[c]ancer is a group of diseases in which cells are aggressive (grow and divide without respect to normal limits), invasive (invade and destroy adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastatic (spread to other locations in the body).” Cancer doesn’t discriminate and can attack anyone at anytime. Sometimes people even bring this disease upon themselves by engaging in risky activities. Some of these behaviors include: smoking, drinking, refusing to wear sunscreen, and recent studies suggest even talking on cell phones link to brain cancer. Harmful chemicals called carcinogens have been proven cancer-causing agents. Carcinogens are everywhere, even the least suspecting places. Examples of some common products in which carcinogens can be found include: microwavable foods, hair dyes, artificial sweeteners, and tobacco products. Five hundred billion pounds of carcinogens are produced annually.

Cancer is a secular disease that affects millions everywhere. “Worldwide, the report shows that there were 10.9 million new cancer cases diagnosed and 6.7 million cancer deaths reported in 2002.” Some cancers are more common than others in the different places however. For instance, lung cancer is the number one cancer in the United States, followed by breast cancer. Cancer seems to be a lot more common in China compared to all of the other countries. “China accounts for 20% of the world's total of new cancer cases (2.2 million), [while] North America's 1.6 million new cancer cases account for 14.5% of the world's total.”

Although there is no positive cure for cancer, doctors and scientists are developing more and more effective treatment methods. The methods of today include, “surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and biologic therapy. Clinical trials may be an option for some who meet certain study criteria.” All of these options have harmful side effects however. When patients are placed on chemotherapy, they sometimes experience emotional pain such as depression as well as the physical side effects of hair loss, anemia, fatigue, appetite change, and pain.

There are many things that the average person can to do help support cancer patients and the ongoing process of cancer research. One can participate in cancer walks such as the Relay for Life or the Race for a Cure. These are cancer walks where you can make teams of friends and family members and raise money for cancer research. Another great organization is called Locks for Love. One can donate several inches of their hair and donate it to make a wig for a man, woman, or even child on chemotherapy. I, myself, donated my hair for locks of love in fifth grade. It was a great experience that went to a great cause.

Though cancer is a terrible disease, it is not a death sentence. The survival rates are increasing year by year. Many studies have shed light on the fact that keeping a high self-image and positive attitude increases your chance for survival. Help stand up to cancer and make this disease a thing of the past.



Bibliography:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer

http://www.canceriq.org/causes.html

http://www.ghchealth.com/facts-you-need-to-know-about-cancer.html

http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20050310/cancer-most-common-in-north-america

http://cancer.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/options.htm

http://www.cancer.com/cancer/se_side-effects.html