Cancer
Cancer is the catchall term applied to diseases caused by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. Cancer isn't one disease. It is many different diseases, more than 100 and counting.
Each kind of cancer is usually named for the cell type in which it begins — cancer that starts in a lung is called lung cancer; cancer that starts in pigment cells in the skin, which are known as melanocytes, is called melanoma.
When detected and treated early, cancer can often be stopped. That said, cancer is a leading cause of death and disability around the world.
Cancer Articles
Screening exams can prevent colorectal cancer, although the number of lives this ultimately saves is less clear. Colonoscopy is considered the most thorough exam for finding precancerous growths on the colon wall, although sigmoidoscopy and stool testing are also effective if performed often enough. Despite uncertainties, colorectal cancer screening is one of the most effective preventive health measures.
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Vasectomy has been linked to higher risk of eventually being diagnosed with prostate cancer, but there is no convincing proof that one actually causes the other.
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The x-ray exposure from CT scans brings a small additional lifetime risk of cancer, but it takes decades to develop and is small relative to the overall chance of cancer over a lifetime.
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Saw palmetto is a popular herbal supplement that men take to help with urinary problems, but the scientific evidence to support its use is weak.
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Drinking coffee may be associated with a reduced recurrence of colon cancer, and even a reduced risk of death.
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An analysis of National Cancer Institute data indicates that many women with ductal carcinoma in situ may not benefit from lumpectomy and radiation.
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There’s no guarantee that one can prevent cancer, but there’s good evidence that the some steps may help ward off the disease. At the top of the list is losing weight and maintaining a normal body mass index, between 18.5 and 24.9. Getting aerobic exercise may cut cancer risk by as much as 50%. A healthy diet is important to cancer risk reduction, because excess weight is linked to the disease, and eating unhealthy foods can add pounds quickly. Quitting smoking and limiting alcohol are also key ways to reduce risk.
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A new DNA-based stool test for colorectal cancer offers advantages over other stool tests, like detecting more cancers and precancerous polyps. But if a stool test is positive, a man still needs to undergo colonoscopy.
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After prostate cancer diagnosis, certain men with low-risk cancers can choose to monitor the cancer very closely and treat when the disease progresses. This allows a man to delay or avoid the risks of treatment. The approach is called active surveillance with intention to treat. Bothersome and potentially permanent side effects of treatment include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. By choosing active surveillance, some men can avoid the risks of treating a cancer that may be unlikely to cause them serious harm within their life span.
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For the longest time, sunscreen labels used terms like "sunblock" and "waterproof" that made you believe the products could block out the sun or stay on your skin no matter how wet and sweaty you got. But the truth is that no sunscreen can do either. That's why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now requires sunscreens to have labels with more useful information and fewer misleading terms
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