The Understanding Of Cancer

By Author: John Mayor
Total Articles: 1124
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The cure for cancer is still some way off but it is something that science expects to happen possibly within the next few decades; medical research continues to advance in it's war with this disease that plagues humanity. Think about that for a moment; can you even imagine the impact this would have on our world if the suffering of so many people could be put to an end? Research over the years has helped our understanding of cancer but not to the point where we are able to foretell exactly when it will happen.

Of course many researchers belief that we are in effect born with cancer which is just waiting for something to set if off, but just what is cancer? The main characteristic of cancer is that it starts with a large group of abnormal cells that keep growing and dividing when they reach a certain size; they then invade other cells and repeat the process continuing to spread to other areas of the body in a process called metastasis.

A benign tumor, unlike a malignant cancerous one, does not continue to grow and invade other cells. They affect many people without them even knowing they are there. In rare circumstances ...
... a benign tumor may turn malignant. Whilst it is not generally a young person's disease, it can occur at any age; cancer is responsible for about 13 percent of all deaths worldwide. Cancer is an abnormality in the body's cells and can be caused by a number of agents including carcinogens or poisons such as smoke, infectious agents or radiation.

Although genetic abnormalities may be caused by it they may also be randomly acquired through problems in the body's DNA replication; a genetic trait may be inherited and thus present in all cells from birth. It is still not fully understood why one person will contract the disease and another be free from it but it is believed that the interactions between any carcinogens and each person's particular DNA is complicated.

Cancer is one of the top ten diseases that are researched regularly throughout the world and the truth is we have learned a great deal from studies performed around the globe. Much of the world's research into diseases is to try and find the reason why some people do not contract certain diseases whilst others do. We all want to know more about the causes of cancer what we can do to help prevent this illness from striking.

The food you eat on a regular basis will have an effect on your health, especially in the future. Some believe it may even be causing a large number of cases in certain groups of people. Some of the foodstuffs that could be causing these problems are salt, saturated fats and dairy products. A high calcium intake could possibly be responsible for cases of prostrate cancer in men.

Cancer does not seem to have preferences as it is able to invade just about every part of the human body and organs. Long term research has helped the situation and many forms can now be treated at even later stages than could be only a little while ago. Advancements in medical techniques mean that cancer in many cases can be treated and often completely cured; it is only a matter of time before a complete cure is discovered.