DiagnosisPreventionAlmost all cancers can be prevented. Any cancer caused by tobacco and alcohol consumption can be totally prevented. Living healthy lifestyles, such as exercising and eating the right foods can lower the risk of developing cancer greatly. Other cancer causes such as excessive sun exposure and infectious agents can be avoided.
Brief History of Screening MethodsThe first test for cervical cancer was developed in 1923 by George Papanicolaou. In the early 1960s, the American Cancer Society promoted the test, making it more widely used. Modern mammography, which is using x-rays to locate tumors, was invented in the late 1960s. The ACS officially recommended it in 1976.
Diagnosis TodayNow there are many ways to find out if cancer is present in your body or not:
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Treatment
SurgerySurgery is used to treat cancer by directly removing the tumor from the body. It has long been recognized as a method of treating cancer, however, it wasn't until the 19th and 20th century, when anesthesia was discovered, that surgery for cancers flourished.
ChemotherapyChemotherapy is using a variety of drugs to inhibit or kill cancer cells. They can be ingested as pills, injected at the location, or rubbed on as a topical cream. Unfortunately, chemo targets any fast growing cells, which includes hair.
Chemotherapy was developed in WWII, when it was discovered mustard gas caused bone marrow suppression, and other similar chemicals were found to fight off lymphoma. Since then, many other drugs have been found to suppress tumors. RadiationRadiotherapy utilizes radiation to damage, slow, or prevent cancer growth. External beam radiation is the process of beaming radiation to the body from the outside. It usually done with a rather large and noisy machine that carefully aims radiation at the part of the body that needs it. Internal beam radiation is beaming radiation from the inside of the body by ingesting a solid or liquid source of radiation.
X-Rays were first discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. Not long after, they were found to be effective against cancer. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are often used together. Other treatment types include immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormone therapy.
ImmunotherapyImmunotherapy in general is stimulating the immune system to wipe out disease more efficiently. Cancer cells are often not recognized by the body as harmful. So in cancer treatment, the immune system is made to be smarter and target cancerous cells.
Targeted TherapyTargeted therapy is very similar to chemotherapy. However, chemo drugs focus on any fast growing cell. Targeted therapy drugs are very specific in what they attack, and in doing so, cause less damage to normal cells.
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