World Cancer Day 2019

The World Cancer Day Logo

Photo Credit (World Cancer Day)

Today - Monday 4th of February is World Cancer Day 2019. This is a day to raise awareness of Cancer as well as encourage the prevention, detection and treatment of all Cancers known. This awareness day is founded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) with the primary aim of the day to reduce illness along with deaths caused by Cancer. Like all awareness days, World Cancer Day has a theme. In previous years the themes have been one-year themes discussing either 'debunking the myths' or 'Together let's do something'. But this year starts a three-year theme which won't end until 2021 - 'I am and I will.

Luckily, I have never known had someone in my close family have Cancer. And... Don't really want to have any of my close family to get the disease. As sadly, I do know people within my close cycle of friends and family who do know someone who had cancer or been affected with it. It's horrible... Cancer is just one of those horrendous conditions which are life-wrecking.
There were 17 million new cases of Cancer worldwide in 2018 with 9.6 million death which also happened in 2018, according to the Cancer Research UK's website. 

But what is Cancer?

Cancer is a disease that happens when a cell or group of cells undergoes an abnormal change. These changes then leads to uncontrolled and unconstricted growth to form a lump called a tumour. Although, in a type of cancer called Leukaemia - blood cancer, doesn't make a lump. If the cancer isn't treated at this stage then the cancer can be left to grow. It can then spread to the surrounding tissues or to a different organ via tumours moving through the blood or lymphatic vessels.

A diagram of cancer cells within normal tissue

Photo Credit: Cancer Research

A diagram of Cancer spreading

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Cancers are also classified into 5 different types which is due to wherever the cell of the tumour originated from. So...

A carcinoma is a cancer which originates from cells called epithelial (Certain cells which lines organs). Carcinomas can invade the surrounding tissues and organs. The cancers which are the most common forms of this cancer are Breast, Postate, Lungs and Colon.

A sarcoma is a cancer which originates from the soft tissues in the body. Soft tissues can be anything from fats and muscles to Blood vessels and Nerves. The cancer which is one of the most common forms of sarcoma is a complicated name - osteosarcoma. This is a cancer of the bone.

A Lymphoma and Myeloma are types of cancers which begins in the immune system. Lymphoma is a cancer based on the lymphatic system - a system which the tissues and organs that helps removes the toxins and other waste material. It runs all over the body and can therefore have tumours occurring anywhere. Whereas Myeloma is a cancer based on the immune system cell known as a Plasma cell. These types of cancer can affect the way the immune system works.

The other two types of Cancer are Leukaemia as well as Brain and Spinal Cord cancers. Leukaemia, like I wrote before, are blood cancers. Where as Brain and Spinal Cord cancers can be benign cancer (I'll define this later) just growing in the wrong place.

Like there isn't one type of cancer, there isn't one type of tumour... There are three different types of tumours which are;

Precancerous - A tumour which might turn/is likely to turn into a cancerous tumour

Benign - These are tumours which are not life-threatening. These tumours tend to grow slowly, growing from heathly/normal cells and doesn't spread to rest of the body. It'll only cause a problem, if it grows in a problematic place like the skull.

Malignant - These a fast growing tumour which can spread and damage the neighouring tissues. If the cancer cells spread, they are known as metastases.

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