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
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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.
• Bladder cancer
– Examination of the bladder by a physician can aid
in early detection.
Early
Detection of
Cancer
• 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.
Many types of
cancer can be
treated and cured
if detected early.
• 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.
• Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkins’s
disease
Early
Detection of
Cancer
– 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…
• Change in bowel or bladder
habits
• A sore that does not heal.
• Unusual bleeding or discharge.
• Thickening or lump in a breast
or elsewhere.
Know your
warning signs of
cancer.
• Indigestion or difficulty
swallowing.
• Obvious change in a wart or
mole.
• Nagging 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.
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–
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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.