CANCER

Submitted by
TONY SCARIA
SOCIAL SCIENCE
 INTRODUCTION

Cancer is a large group of diseases that

can start in almost any organ or tissue of
the body when abnormal cells grow
uncontrollably, go beyond their usual
boundaries to invade adjoining parts of the
body and/or spread to other organs. The
latter process is called metastasizing and is
a major cause of death from cancer. A
neoplasm and malignant tumors are other
common names for cancer.
Cancer is the second leading cause of
death globally, accounting for an
estimated 9.6 million deaths, or 1 in 6
deaths, in 2018. Lung, prostate,
colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are
the most common types of cancer in
men, while breast, colorectal, lung,
cervical and thyroid cancer are the
most common among women.
It is often presumed that all tumours are
cancerous – but this is a misconception. A tumour
becomes cancerous only when it spreads to other
parts of the body
 Causes of Cancer

Many factors are attributed to causing

cancer. The most probable factors include:

1.Physical factors – Ionizing radiation, such

as X-rays and gamma rays

2.Chemical factors – Such as tobacco and

smoke

.
3.Biological factors – Viral oncogenes,
proto-oncogenes and cellular oncogenes

The above factors are called carcinogens

 Types of Cancer
From a medical perspective, cancer
types can be classified based on the
type of cell they originated from.
Therefore cancer can be classified into:

Carcinoma
The most common form of cancer, it
originates from the epithelial cells

Sarcoma
Originates from the connective tissues
such as cartilage, fat and bone tissues.
 Melanoma
Originates from melanocytes, which
are a type of cell that contains
pigments.

Lymphoma & Leukaemia

Originates from the cells that comprise
blood (such as b lymphocytes or white
blood cells)
 Diagnosis of Cancer
The detection and diagnosis of
cancer are very important before it
spreads to other parts of the body.
Identification of cancer genes is
pivotal to prevent cancer.
The following methods are used to detect
cancer –

Biopsy.
Histopathological studies of tissue.
Radiography technique.
Computed tomography.
Magnetic resonance imaging.
Molecular biology techniques.
 Treatment of Cancer
Commonly, three types of treatment are
available for cancer.

Surgery – Surgically removing localized

cancerous mass (Effective for benign tumours)
Radiation therapy – In this therapy, radiation is
used to kill the cancer cells.
Chemotherapy – Chemotherapeutic drugs are
used to kill cancer cells.
 CONCLUSION
The cancer burden continues to grow globally,
exerting tremendous physical, emotional and
financial strain on individuals, families,
communities and health systems. Many health
systems in low- and middle-income countries are
least prepared to manage this burden, and large
numbers of cancer patients globally do not have
access to timely quality diagnosis and treatment.
In countries where health systems are strong,
survival rates of many types of cancers are
improving thanks to accessible early detection,
quality treatment and survivorship care.