Cancer

Cancer is a disease that is sadly all too familiar to many of us. According to Cancer Research UK, 1 in 2 people born after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. The incidences of cancer are continuing to rise, predominantly due to an ageing population and the current lifestyle choices we make. Recent research suggests that up to 90% of cancer cases can be caused by the environment around us, such as diet, alcohol, cigarettes, sunburn, some viruses and pollution – in fact smoking still remains the leading cause of preventable death in the world.

It is true that cancer treatment has improved in recent years and a diagnosis of the disease doesn’t carry as much fear as it once did. However it’s still an incredibly serious condition, physically, emotionally and mentally. There is no total cure for cancer yet and the race to find a lifesaving treatment has been on for years, and has given life to a global industry.

The most important weapon in your arsenal for fighting cancer is the prevention of the disease before it takes shape. To this end it is vital to know and understand how you can control the potential risk factors for the disease. It is also hugely beneficial to know the potential treatments of cancer too. Whether that be the standard treatments we’ve all heard about, like chemotherapy or radiation and what impact they may be having on other aspects of our health. Are there even other options for us to choose from? A complex disease like cancer requires a great deal of understanding to know what you are up against. With each new advance in the science behind cancer we get closer to a total understanding of its causes and weak spots, enabling us to stop it in its tracks.

Here at the Daily Health we explore all the information available – prevention, risk factors and treatments – as like everyone else, when it comes to cancer, we are also looking for the right answers.