The Rise in Cancer Patients.
The word ‘Cancer’ is not new to the world. Each and every single person is aware of it. The diseases cancer is one of the oldest and scared diseases. This disease has created a hazard on only in a particular region or nation. It exists in every corner of the globe but in different names and types. The process of formation of any cancer is same. The cancer is formed when a normal cell becomes abnormal due to some unknown reason and gives birth to a mass called tumor. In medical books this process is mentioned as ‘Metastases’ that take several years to give rise to a cancerous or ‘Malignant’ (that spreads through blood stream) tumor.
The world is moving very fast now days. The science and technology is progressing day by day. But whenever there exists an advantage, there exists a disadvantage too. Science has made the life too easy and convenient. Computer, mobile phones, internet etc. has added an unnatural color in life. These few things have become a necessity to every person. But we never try to look deeper and know the actual affects of these gifts of science. From last decade cancer cases are touching the sky. Since year 2002 to the year 2012 the rate of cancer cases are increasing every year by 20-35%. Ten years back one could have hardly see a cancer patient, but today in every locality one can find a cancer patient. If the trend goes on like this, by the year 2025, each and every family will have a cancer patient. The technical things like computer and mobile phone got widely introduced in between the years 2000 to 2002. Laptops become a part of most of ours lives from last 5-6 years. Use of internet, chat on mobile phones etc. supporting the rise in the rate of cancer patients since last ten years. A harmful radiation emitted by a mobile phone affects the health of a person both directly and indirectly. Over usages of these phones supports many cancers like brain cancer. Installation of towers in high buildings is also emitting an electro magnetic waves that can also attack a cell in human body making the cell go abnormal. Earlier these towers were installed in urban areas only. Later these were installed in rural areas and today we can see the towers even in a remote area. As the result we have a high percentage of cancer patients today from all urban, rural and remote areas. As like the mobile phones, computers and laptops also radiates waves that can cause cancer. Internet and games has made the present generation to stick with these things avoiding the physical work outs. So the current generation develops a higher risk of developing cancer in the body.
There are many evidences to prove the ill effects of harmful radiation on the human body and its contribution to cause cancer. In the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people are still suffering from various cancers caused by the radiations from the atom bombs dropped by the Americans during the Second World War. After the nuclear massacred in the city of Chernovil in Ukraine, people of that region mostly suffer from cancer like the thyroid cancer. Any sort of harmful radiation either it is from a computer or mobile phone or tower; it affects the human cells in a negative way. They may hinder a cell from receiving the signals for normal division. If a cell does not receive the proper signal from brain, it divides abnormally to form cancer afterwards.
Industrialization is also a major cause of cancer. It supports the lung cancer which is highest in the world. About two decades back, smoking was considered as the major cause of lung cancer but today it is not the only reason. People working specially in Asbestos and Arsenic industries develop very high risk of developing lung cancer. Beside this people working in transport sector also develops the chances of lung cancer. They all have to inhale the harmful carbon monoxide gas in the form of smoke released by industries and vehicles. These smokes are much more harmful than the smoke from the cigarette. They enter the lung and the other parts of the respiratory tract and produce a harmful toxic chemical there known as ‘Free Radicals’. These free radicals affect a cell to become abnormal and divide abnormally to form a cancerous tumor.
Urbanization of the society is also playing a key role to support cancer. It has changed a person’s life style and the food habit. It is mostly affecting the teenagers and youngsters. To follow the westernized culture people in the countries of South Asia also prefers junk foods, alcohol and practice the habit of tobacco in both smoked and chewable in high quantity. Teenagers and school going children are picking up these habits very fast. Junk foods supports the cancer on stomach, intestine and rectum where as alcohol supports the liver and pancreatic cancer. Tobacco in smoked form has been found responsible for lung cancer and in chewable form for oral cancer. Use of Hormone based products to gain or lose body weight or to terminate pregnancies by women contributes to cause breast and cervical cancers. In men hormone based medicines can cause testicular and prostate cancers.
Destruction of eco system has increasing the global warming due to which the people are forced to receive the direct harmful radiations from the sun. Harmful radiations from the sun may cause the skin cancer it the body is highly exposed to it. It is also found to be responsible for causing the breast cancer in women. Increase in the life span of the people in the today’s world due to development in medical science also increased the risk of cancer. More the age of a person will be, more the chance of developing cancer it will have specially the cancer related to the hormonal imbalance.
One cannot make compromises with the necessities. Few things that may cause or help to cause cancer has become an important part of our life. Some of us are forced to adopt the cancer causing environment as profession to earn the daily breads. But one can make compromises with the habits that may lead to cancer in a slow manner. Cancer is more suitable to prevent than to cure as we have still miles to go to find the way to eliminate the disease from the roots.
Dr. Gitartha Roymedhi, MD
Chief in Charge,
Department of Social and Preventive Oncology,
North East Cancer Hospital and Research Institute,
11th Mile, Jorabat, Guwahati, Assam, India.
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