ISLAMABAD, Feb 04 ( Alliance News): The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that around 20 million people were diagnosed with cancer in year 2021, while 10 million people died as a result.
According to the WHO statement that cancer was one of the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020.
In a bid to educate the people about this chronic disease by the WHO, this year, as every year, World Cancer Awareness Day is being observed on February 4.
Cancer is a term used for a group of diseases that can affect any part of the body.
A significant feature of cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells that invade adjacent parts of the body and spread to other organs, and this is usually the leading cause of death from cancer.
In 2020, the highest number of new cases of breast cancer was 2260,000, followed by lung cancer which was diagnosed in 2210,000 people.
Colon and rectum cancer caused 1930,000 cases, bladder cancer 1.14 million, skin cancer 1.02 million and gastric cancer 1.09 million.
According to the World Health Organization, lung cancer was the leading cause of death in 2020, killing 1.8 million patients.
There were 916,000 deaths from colon and rectum cancer, 830,000 from liver cancer, 769,000 from gastric cancer and 685,000 from breast cancer.
About 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year.
The major causes of cancer are that it arises when normal cells transform into tumor cells, a process that can have many causes, such as the chemical effects of ultraviolet radiation, smoking, alcohol, and the use of certain viruses, bacteria, or Parasite infection.
The risk of cancer increases dramatically with age, as aging increases the risk of exposure to certain carcinogens.
Risk factors:
Smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, inactivity and air pollution are important factors that increase the risk of cancer and other non-communicable diseases.
Some chronic diseases in poor and middle countries also increase the risk of cancer, such as hepatitis B and C, HPV increases the risk of liver and cervical cancer.
The HIV virus increases the risk of cervical cancer by 6 times.
Reducing the burden of cancer
About 30% to 50% of cancers are preventable and can be made possible by lifestyle factors.
The burden of cancer can also be reduced by early diagnosis and proper treatment, as most types of cancer are more likely to be treated at an early stage.
How to protect yourself?
Avoid smoking
Maintain a healthy body weight
Eat a healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables
Getting into regular physical activity or exercise
Don’t use alcohol
Getting vaccinated against HBC and Hepatitis C (if you are part of the group recommended for vaccination)
Avoiding ultraviolet radiation means avoiding too much sun exposure or taking precautionary measures.
Trying to avoid air pollution outside and inside the wall
Avoid ionizing radiation