Why Cancer Kills Us & Ways to Prevent It
Silver Chat explores cancer, its history, causes, and prevention. It is a significant concern of aging health and one worth exploring. Knowledge is power; the more we know, the more we can make informed decisions about our lifestyle choices. Cancer is the second largest cause of death and increases dramatically as we age. The median age of diagnosis is around 65, with 60% of cancer patients being 60 years of age or older. It is a significant concern for our population and deserves discussion. After a brief history of it, its causes, and treatment, we will look at prevention. Silver Chats believes our habits and lifestyle are the key to positive, holistic aging and preventing diseases that plague us as we age.
The first cases of recorded cancer date back to the Egyptians, the earliest cases being the bone cancer called osteosarcoma. It was found through fossilized mummies in the head and neck. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, coined the word origin. He used the Greek word carcinos and carcinoma to describe non-ulcer and ulcer-forming tumors. These words refer to a crab-like structure, referring to the finger-like structure of the spread of the disease. Romans later translated it to the Latin word cancer, meaning crab.
Recognition of cancer continued throughout the centuries, evolving in diagnosis. The understanding of the human body grew from the 15th century into the 17th century, when autopsies became more prevalent. By the late 17th century, autopsies were providing an understanding of cancer to the level of surgery being an option for treatment. By the 18th century, anesthesia was perfected, surgery began to flourish, and classic cancer surgeries like mastectomies were developed. The science of oncology developed in the 19th century through advancements in science like the microscope used to study diseased tissue. It allowed for a better understanding of the damage cancer does and the development of better surgery treatments through its pathology. Physics also evolved with the discovery of radiation as both a cause and cure of cancer.
What is cancer? In its simplest explanation, it is mutated cell development. “The basic cause of sporadic (non-familial) cancers is DNA damage and genomic instability.” This means cancer is caused by gene changes that control how cells function, mainly how they grow and divide. Sometimes, this is inherited, but primarily, it is environmental factors. Some families share mutated genes, inheriting cancer of the same types. Environmental causes of cancer can be ultraviolet rays from sun exposure, chemicals in tobacco smoke, asbestos, alcohol, or arsenic. Infections viral, bacterial, or parasitic, like HPV or hepatitis, can cause cancer cells to mutate. Lifestyle choices are also contributing factors: smoking, poor nutrition, inactivity, and exposure to toxic chemicals.