Cancer is known to be one of the deadliest diseases and is the second most common cause of death after heart ailment.

Medical professionals believe that Cancer may be curable if detected early, although some cancers suddenly develop without any noticeable symptoms. Cancer can spread rapidly particularly if you ignore symptoms because you are you not aware these symptoms might relate to cancer.

Cancer: worldwide

Statistics for 2000

The graph below shows the total number of people world-wide who have been diagnosed with the 14 most common cancers during the previous five years, and are still living with cancer in the year 2000.

Industrial pollutants were first identified in the 1940s and 1950s as causes of cancer by Wilhelm Hueper, an American doctor working in the chemicals industry. Most of the industrial contaminants affecting the health of present generations did not exist before Hueper's time. Toxicopathologist Dr Vyvyan Howard informs us that, in 2004

Cancer is a disease that starts with cells, the body's basic unit of life. Cells generally grow and divide to produce more cells, but only when the body needs them. But at times, the cells become abnormal and keep erratically dividing to form more cells leading to a mass of excess tissue called a tumor. Tumors are of two types. They can be malignant which means cancerous or benign which means not cancerous.

Most cancers are named after the organ where they begin. For example, cancer that begins in the lung is lung cancer, and cancer that begins in cells in the skin known as skin Cancer or melanoma.

When cancer cells spread from the organ they originally appeared to another part of the human body, the new tumor carries the same name as the primary tumor. For example, if lung cancer spreads to the brain, the cancer cells in the brain are actually lung cancer cells. The disease is called lung cancer and it is not brain cancer.

The types of cancer are too many and it is difficult to list them all. However, some of the common types are Bone Cancer, Brain Cancer, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Skin Cancer, Colon and Rectal Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer,Gynecologic Cancer, Blood Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Kidney Cancer etc.

Some common symptoms of cancer are:

Persistent cough or saliva with traces of blood or mucus with blood could be symptoms of cancer of lung, head, and neck.

A change in bowel movements – particularly if there is pencil-thin stools, it may be colon cancer.

Blood in stool could also be a symptom of cancer.

Most breast lumps may be non-cancerous tumors but all breast lumps need to be thoroughly investigated. A negative mammogram result is not sufficient to evaluate a breast lump.

Most men with cancer of the testicle have a painless lump on a testicle while others have enlarged testicles.

Urinary symptoms can include frequent urination, small amounts of urine, and arrested flow of urine. These symptoms may signal prostate cancer. Hoarseness not caused by a respiratory infection or that lasts longer than three weeks calls for medical examination. Hoarseness could also be the first sign of throat cancer.

But lumps may represent cancer and therefore a medical evaluation is necessary.

Changes of a wart or mole, indigestion or difficulty swallowing, Unusual vaginal bleeding or discharge, unexpected weight loss, night sweats, continuous itching in anus or genitals, non-healing sores are all likely symptoms for cancer.

Cancer is generally treated in three different ways – Chemotherapy, Radiation treatment and surgery.

The chemotherapy is done in a planned way. There are norms as to how much chemotherapy the patient has to receive and the intervals of treatment. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs destroy cancer cells by stopping them from growing and multiplying. Chemotherapy may be given in a variety of ways – intravenously, orally in pill form, through an injection or through direct application on the skin.

Radiation treatment is the use of high-energy rays to prevent cancer cells from spreading.

The therapy is usually administered to the exterior of body by a machine that can send high-energy beams directly to the location of cancer. Majority of people suffering fro cancer are treated with radiation. For many, radiation is the only kind of treatment needed.

Surgery is used to mitigate the symptoms of advanced disease and to relieve pain and suffering. Surgery has played a major role in the cure of melanoma, breast, colorectal, and thyroid cancers when detected early. Surgery may be the only option for patients with localized disease, but it is often necessary to combine surgery with other types of treatment to achieve higher response rates.