Transcript Reducing the Risk of Cancer
Reducing the Risk of Cancer
Lesson 49
Objectives
• • • • Describe how cancerous cells grow and spread.
Describe the basic facts about common types of cancers.
Develop and analyze strategies to reduce the risk of cancer.
Discuss different treatment procedures for cancer.
Key Terms
• • • • • • • • • • Cancer Tumor Benign tumor Malignant tumor Metastasis Ultraviolet (UV) radiation Malignant melanoma Radon Basal cell carcinoma Chemotherapy
Cancer
• To some degree, cancer is an illness that results from lifestyle choices.
• • • Examples include: Overexposure to the sun increases the risk of developing skin cancer.
Choosing to smoke increases your risk of developing skin cancer.
• You can make lifestyle choices to help reduce your risk of developing cancer.
Cancer Facts
• • • • Cancer is a disease that affects people of all ages, races, and nationalities.
Next to cardiovascular disease, cancer is the most common cause of death in the United States.
Some types of cancer cannot be prevented, buts some can if people take preventative measures.
If a person does get cancer, early treatment can increase the chances for a cure.
What to know about cancer…
• Cancer-a group of diseases in which cells divide in an uncontrolled manner.
• When cells divide in an uncontrolled manner, they can form a tumor. – An abnormal growth of tissue.
– Can be benign or malignant.
What to know about cancer…
•
Benign Tumor
– A tumor that is NOT cancerous and does not spread to other parts of the body.
– Rarely life-threatening.
– Usually can be removed and will not grow back.
What to know about cancer…
• • • •
Malignant Tumor
– A tumor that IS cancerous and may spread to other parts of the body.
Metastisis
– The spread of cancer.
Cancer cells can break away from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system.
Can form new tumors in other parts of the body.
Causes of cancer…
• • • • Not contagious.
Not caused by injury.
– Bumps or bruises.
Some causes are not completely understood.
Many risk factors have been identified.
– Can increase a person’s chances of getting cancer.
How cancer is detected…
• • Many types of cancer can be prevented or successfully treatment when detected early.
Early detection – Regular physical exams.
– Self-examinations.
– Be aware of the risk factors, signs, and symptoms of cancer.
How cancer is detected…
• • Great strides have been made in early detection and treatment.
– Technology Survival rate for all types of cancers greatly improves with early detection.
Early Detection of Cancer
Many types of cancer can be treated and cured if detected early.
• • • • • • • Bladder cancer – Examination of the bladder by a physician can aid in early detection.
Oral cancer – Regular dental and physical checkups plus watching for symptoms.
Skin cancer – Doing monthly skin self-examinations and by noticing when there are changes in their skin and moles.
Breast cancer – Control weight through diet and exercise, doing monthly breast self-exams, having a physical every year, having a mammogram every year after age 40.
Cervical Cancer – Regular pelvic exams and annual Pap smears.
Endometrial cancer – Annual pelvic exam for women age 40+.
Prostate cancer and Rectal cancer – Annual rectal exams after age 40.
– Annual blood exams after age 50.
Early Detection of Cancer
• • • • • Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkins’s disease – No early detection test are available.
Leukemia – Early detection is difficult.
– Symptoms often appear late in the disease.
Lung cancer – Early detection is difficult.
– Symptoms often appear late in the disease.
– Can be detected late with X rays and examining the bronchial tubes and mucus.
Ovarian cancer – Early detection is difficult.
– Symptoms are often attributed to other conditions.
Pancreatic cancer – Can be detected late in the disease with ultrasound and CT scans.
What you can do to reduce your risk…
Know your warning signs of cancer.
• • • • • • •
C
hange in bowel or bladder habits
A
sore that does not heal.
U
nusual bleeding or discharge.
T
hickening or lump in a breast or elsewhere.
I
ndigestion or difficulty swallowing.
O
bvious change in a wart or mole.
N
agging cough or hoarseness.
What you can do to reduce your risk…
• Choose a tobacco-free lifestyle.
– Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of cancer death.
–
Carcinogen
• Chemical that is known to cause cancer.
– Second hand smoke is just as harmful.
– Smokeless or chewing tobacco increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, gums, and throat.
Rick Bender
This picture shows former baseball player Rick Bender speaking about his oral cancer probably caused by chewing tobacco. He lost his jaw and part of his tongue in surgeries. Photo by Stuart Johnson of Deseret Morning News.
What you can do to reduce your risk…
• Protect yourself from Ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
– A type of radiation that comes from the sun and also is emitted by sunlamps and tanning booths.
– Repeated exposure to UV radiation increases the risk of skin cancer, including malignant melanoma.
• The form of skin cancer that is most often fatal.
What you can do to reduce your risk…
• Ways to avoid and reduce risk for skin cancer.
– Avoid exposure to the sun between 10am and 3pm.
– If you are in the sun, wear protective clothing.
– Use sunscreen lotions that have a sun protective factor (SPF) of at least 15. – NEVER use tanning booth or sun lamps.
– Check your skin regularly.
– If you notice any abnormal growths, consult your physician.
What you can do to reduce your risk…
• Follow dietary guidelines.
– Eat a variety of foods so that your body has a combination of nutrients.
– Follow the recommended number of servings of each food on the Food Guide Pyramid.
What you can do to reduce your risk…
• Maintain a desirable weight.
– Overweight/high percentage of body fat=more risk for developing cancer.
– Exercise regularly and manage your weight.
What you can do to reduce your risk…
• Avoid drinking alcohol.
– May cause changes in body cells.
– Takes vitamins needed for optimal health away from the body.
– Increases risk of cancer of the liver, throat, mouth, breast, and stomach.
What you can do to reduce your risk…
• Avoid air pollution.
– Polluted air contains many carcinogens.
– Avoid exhaust from cars, buses, and trucks.
– Have your home tested for radon.
• An odorless, colorless radioactive gas that is released by rocks and soil.
– – It can collect and be trapped in basements and crawl spaces.
Inhaling radon can increase the risk of lung cancer.
What you can do to reduce your risk…
• • Avoid infection with HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.
Know your families cancer history.
– Some cancers run in the family.
• Breast, colon, and ovarian cancer.
– Have regular checkups and keep your physician informed.
The Most Common Cancer
• Skin Cancer – Often begins to develop in young people who are overexposed to the sun for many years.
– Plainly visible to the eye.
– Three types of skin cancer.
• Basil cell carcinoma • • Squamous cell carcinoma Malignant melanoma
The Most Common Cancer
• Basal cell carcinoma – Most common form.
– Develops on sun-exposed areas of the body.
• Small, round, raised red spot.
– Almost always cured if discovered early.
•
The Most Common Cancer
Squamous cell carcinoma – Second most common skin cancer.
– Occurs on the parts of the body exposed to the sun.
– Slower growing cancer with a tendency to spread to other parts of the body.
The Most Common Cancer
• Malignant melelanoma – Third type of skin cancer.
– Most dangerous skin cancer.
– Appears as a mole that changes its appearance and attacks other body parts.
The Most Common Cancer
• • The use of tanning beds significantly increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma. The younger people are when they first start using tanning beds, the greater their risk of developing skin cancer.
What to know about treatment approaches…
• Treatment for cancer depends upon a number of factors.
– Type.
– How much of the cancer has spread.
– The location of the cancer.
– The patient’s choice of treatment.
What to know about treatment approaches…
• Surgery – The most common treatment for cancer.
– If tumors are confined to a particular site, physicians may remove the cancerous tissue from the body.
– If tumors are spread out, surgery is more difficult.
What to know about treatment approaches…
• Radiation therapy – Treatment of cancer with high-energy radiation to kill or damage cancer cells.
– Performed using a machine that generates radiation.
– Performed by placing radioactive materials in or near the cancer site.
• May produce side effects.
– Fatigue.
– Nausea.
– Vomiting.
– Skin may become red and blistered in the areas treated with radiation.
What to know about treatment approaches…
• Chemotherapy – Treatment of cancer with anti-cancer drugs.
– Drugs kill the cancer inside the body.
– Works mainly on cancer cells.
– Healthy cells can be harmed.
• • • Side effects.
– – Nausea.
Vomiting.
– Hair loss.
– Fatigue.
Most side effects do not last long and will gradually go away.
Fatigue may last several months.
What to know about treatment approaches…
• Immunotherapy – A process in which the immune system is stimulated to fight cancer cells.
– Involves injecting patients with cancer cells that have been made harmless by radiation or other substances that stimulate the immune system.