Cancer affects everyone, people and animals aren’t immune to it, so it doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, rich or poor, you are exposed to cancer from the moment you are born. It is one of the leading causes of death in the world and it doesn’t seem to slow down. But did you know that there are many ways you can prevent most cancers? From eating certain foods that prevent cancer to working out and quitting smoking, you have the power to be healthy. Today we have 10 facts about cancer that will put things in perspective and make you think about how to protect yourself more. We hope you stay safe and healthy!
10. Cancer in Women
Around the world, the most common types of cancers which kill women are: breast cancer, lung cancer, stomach, colorectal and cervical cancer. Also, in a lot of developing countries, the most common type of cancer that women die of is cervical cancer. When was the last time you had a Pap smear?
9. Cancer in Men
Now that you know which cancers kill women, let’s see what the most common types of cancers that kill men are. In order of their frequency, they are: lung cancer, stomach, liver, colorectal and esophagus cancer. Have you ever tried to quit smoking? Here is another bone chilling statistic that will make you think twice about your lifestyle: a man in the U.S. has 50% chances of developing cancer in his lifetime.
8. 13% of All Death is Cancer
Out of all the people who died in the world in the year 2010, 13% of all deaths were caused by cancer. That is 7.6 million people! Cancer causes more deaths than malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis combined! The great news here is that there are 28 million cancer survivors around the world each year.
7. The Big C
Although we mentioned this in the beginning, that it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor when it comes to getting cancer, it appears that around 70% of all cancer deaths occur in middle-income and low-income countries. So access to treatment is really the key to surviving some types of cancer. Over 20,000 people die of this disease every single day.
6. 100 Types of Cancers
Any part of the body can be affected by cancer. There are more than 100 types of cancer and unfortunately, statistics have shown that while anyone can develop the disease, the risk increases with age. Around 78% of all cancers are found in people over the age of 55, so once you’ve hit that mark, visit your doctor regularly.
5. Cigarettes KILL
No news here, we know, but once again there is a need to highlight the fact that tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of cancer in the world. Cigarettes cause 22% of all cancer deaths, which is absolutely incredible and sad. 69 of over 4,800 chemicals present in a single cigarette are known to cause cancer. How about these facts about cancer?!
4. Some Cancers are Caused by Infection
The cause for most cancers isn’t known. There are various speculations, but there still isn’t a definite answer to the question: What causes cancer? When it comes to cervical cancer and liver cancer, we have an answer. The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes 98% of all cervical cancers and the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes liver cancer.
3. Some Cancers can be Cured if Detected Early
The most common types of cancer, such as breast, cervical and colorectal cancer can be detected early and early detection will help save lives. Treated adequately, those cancers can be stopped in their tracks. Also, did you know that exercise will reduce the breast cancer risk by 25%?
2. Marijuana is Good
We’re not suggesting you should go out and find yourself a big, fat joint and smoke it and hope you’ll cure a cancer, but we are telling you that various studies have shown that a marijuana-derived compound has been found to freeze cancer cells and prevent them for multiplying. If only we didn’t stigmatize this plant so much!
1. Cancer Can Be Prevented
Did you know that many cancers can be prevented? If you didn’t, we’re telling you that more than 30% of cancers can be prevented by not smoking, eating well, drinking alcohol moderately and being physically active. When it comes to cancers that are caused by infection, 20% of cancer deaths can be prevented by immunization against the infection HPV and HBV.
Are these facts about cancer scaring you? They should and you should start taking better care of yourself. Quit smoking, eat healthier, exercise and use sunscreen. Most of the times it is in our power to prevent this horrible disease. If you would like to share your thoughts about this article with us, drop us a line in the comment section below and we will get back to you.
Leave a Reply