Cancer as the Deadliest Disease (Essay Sample)

Name:
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
Abstract
What is Cancer
Cancer is a compound term for a collection of ailments and mutations that mainly materialize through the abnormal growth of tissue cells. The cells of the affected body part experience loss of normal growth. Cancer cells have the potential of infecting or metastasizing to other tissues and cells in the human body. It is also known as neoplasm and may be benign or malignant. Important to note is that not all tumors that affect humans are cancerous, for instance, benign tumors cells are not likely to spread to other body parts and can be easily removed. Malignant tumors have cells that grow abnormally with the potential to spread to other body parts.
Statistical facts on cancer infection
The statistics on cancer infections indicate that in the year 2014 alone, at least 1,665,540 new cancer cases were identified and of these cancer deaths numbered approximately 585,720. Cancer handles at least one out of every four deaths in the United States and is the second-ranked in its fatality rate. Statistics indicate that nearly twenty percent of new cancer infections can be attributed various diseases such as hepatitis, 22% of all cancer deaths are linked to abuse of tobacco products, ten percent of cancer infections are related to the individuals lifestyle such as obesity and alcohol consumption and 5-10% of all cancer infections may be due to gene factors which implies it has been passed from parent to child.
The beginning of cancerous growth
Cancer begins with affecting a particular tissue and causing cells to divide more than they should or the cells not die as they should. The early warnings that a patient may have cancer disease include new lump development, irregular bleeding, a protracted cough, mysterious and severe weight loss, and an alteration in bowel locomotion’s, among others. Known Cancer types that affect the human species, number over a hundred, of this at least three are known to affect the skin tissue. These are Squamous cell carcinoma, Basal cell carcinoma, and melanoma. This paper seeks to discuss the approaches of skin cancers can be detected, prevented, and management.
Introduction
Skin cancer mainly refers to the abnormal growth of skin cells. This phenomenon is mostly evident on the part of the skin that is most or always exposed, to the sun’s radiation. However, this is not to mean that, the skin on other parts of the body unexposed to the ultraviolet sun rays, may not develop this cancer. There are three principal types of skin cancers, which affect humans; namely, the basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. The chances of contracting or developing skin cancers may be reduced by limiting and avoiding one's exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Constant monitoring and inspection of one’s skin can help in early detection and thus prevention of skin cancer. If the skin cancer is detected in its earlier stages, then the patient has better chances for successful skin cancer treatment as compared to discovery in the latter stages. Treatments vary between the surgical and non-surgical approaches. The cancer type and the extent of its development may guide the medical practitioner in choosing and application of appropriate treatment.
Risk factors
The risk factors that cause melanoma, basal and squamous skin cancers do not vary. The chances are getting the condition increase as one advance in age. The risk factors are high exposure to direct sunlight, a lot of tanning, blistering sunburns, fair skin, colored eyes, blond hair, and weak immune system and if a family member has had melanoma. The three cancers are prevalent in the older people but can occur in the young as well. They are also most observed in the Caucasians or white people as compared to blacks or other races. Melanoma patient with a high chance of the melanoma reoccurring or causing a non-melanoma skin cancer. The basal carcinoma and squamous cell skin cancer have very little chances of reoccurrence.
The non-surgical treatment of the skin cancers
The procedures that do not involve surgery for the three skin cancers do not differ. There is the superficial radiotherapy treatment that works differently from conventional radiation. It is specially designed for non-melanoma skin cancers as it destroys the cancerous tissues and leaves the healthy tissue unscathed. This is because it only penetrates up to 5mm below the skin surface (Juettner 43). Radiation therapy may also be used, but its use is limited to the older people who cannot withstand the effects of surgery. This is treatment using radiation energy, to kill the cancerous tissue. It is commonly applied to the surgical operations (Baldi Et al 77).
Aldara is a treatment specifically for the basal cell carcinoma, which involves the application of medication that works to rouse the body to fight cancer (So 100). Topical chemotherapy may also be used especially for the basal carcinoma using the drug 5-fluorouracil (Anttila & Paolo 56).The photodynamic therapy entails the application of a drug to the skin that makes the cancer cells more vulnerable to certain light wavelengths. Cryotherapy involves the use of nitrogen to freeze the cells in the affected area thus killing the cancerous cells (Anttila & Paolo 46).
Surgical approaches to the treatment of skin cancers.
There exist various surgical operations for the cure and management of the three skin cancers. Squamous and Basal carcinoma cell skin cancer, share most of these treatment services (So 107).The surgical operations are considered only after non-surgical procedures have failed or are not applicable. Excision is a surgical treat...