Many people all around the world have cancer. “Each year 12.7 million people discover they have cancer and 7.6 million people die from the disease”. What can we do to help? Spread awareness! Spreading the word, donating, and even just wearing your support are just a few of the many ways we can help.
Silpia a specialist at the American Cancer Society, and Elizabeth Katz a doctor at Karmanos Cancer Institute, talked to me about cancer and what is going on with the latest treatments. I asked Silpia and Elizabeth what had made them want to start helping out, and working with cancer patients. Silpia stated, “our intentions were mostly to help them, and mainly being able to share our services, and our resources”. Elizabeth stated that, “due to family history, I began working with cancer patients”.
Cancer can be caused by lots of things, “Some cancers are caused by things people do or expose themselves to”. Silpia responded, “there’s not really an answer to that, it could be a lot of diffrent things, like having any health risk factors, any family history, the food that you eat, if you don’t exercise, and even if you don’t go to the doctor regularly”. Elizabeth responded, “we really haven’t found the main cause of cancer, we are doing as many studies as we can too come up with that answer”.
“It’s a common myth that injuries can cause cancer”. “But the fact is that falls, bruises, broken bones, or other such injuries have not been linked to cancer”. Silpia responded, “there have been many tests, but nothing is ever traced back to this statement”. Elizabeth responded, “not that I have read documentation on right now, it may be a contributing factor, but not a cause”.
“A risk factor is anything linked to your chance of getting a disease, such as cancer”. “Different cancers have different risk factors”. Silpia commented, “having family history, any symptoms, diseases that may trigger the cause of cancer, and even your diet, and nutrition are examples of risk factors”. Elizabeth commented, “smoking, can cause several different forms of cancer, and can definitely be a huge risk factor”. “Some risk factors can actually cause cancer, while others may simply be more common in people who get cancer.”
“There’s no sure way to prevent cancer, but there are things you can do to help reduce your chances of getting it”. Silpia explained, “staying active, eating health, even just going to the doctor regularly, can really help”. Elizabeth explained, “maintaining a healthy diet, getting regular checkups, and most importantly staying away from tobacco, can definitely help reduce your chances of cancer”.
By:Norma Makki