Researches have shown that applying the modern strategies of fighting cancer leads to avoiding one third of the most common cancer type cases. These strategies are boosting the health lifestyle such as educating on the healthy diet, increasing the chances of exercising by creating sporting clubs and walking-designated places, and limiting smoking in public places as it accounts for 70% of the lung-cancer-caused deaths and no less than 22% of the cancer-related deaths in general. In addition to this, overweight and obesity increase the risk of developing digestive system, breast, and womb cancer.
Going under the theme "Debunk the Myths", the World Cancer Day is marked on 4/2/2014; corresponding 4/4/1435H. The World Cancer Day is a world celebration observed every year on the fourth of February with the aim of unifying the world towards combating cancer. This aims to increase the general knowledge on cancer and dispel the misconceptions about it. This, Allah willing, is instrumental in positively changing the individual, society, specialized bodies and their policies in the field of cancer patients' care.
In the meantime, statistics released by the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) underlined that the Kingdom's reported cancer incidences according to the Saudi Oncology Society of 2009 amounted to 13254 ones by 85,5% incidence rate. And, the breast cancer is the most common type across the Kingdom in terms of females, followed by the colon andcolorectal cancer. It is expected that the cancer cases will double in 2020 and will triple in 2030, and the number of cancer-caused deaths will keep rising. Hence, strict measures should be taken to curb the early death cases and raise the awareness level on the disease which is among the principal causes of death world-wide.
Within the same vein, a report issued by the MOH National Center for Health Media and Awareness showed that the most prominent cancer symptoms are feeling severe exhaustion differing from a case to another according to the degree of the injury, weight loss with no apparent reason, fever, nightly sweating, skin changes such as redness, swelling, skincolor changing to dark one or lumps appearing below the skin, apparent changes in the mole or the wart, changes in defecation habits such as constipation or diarrhea, incessant coughing, ceaseless pains in the body joints and muscles, and abnormal excretions or bleeding.
Further, the report draws attention to the fact that themost outstanding risk factors are attributed to some life-relatedwrong habits and behaviors such as smoking, alcohol drinking, and direct exposure to the sun beams for long periods, family history of cancer injury, growing in age, existence of complications related to chronic diseases such as the recurrent intestine and colon inflammation may also increase the likelihood of developing cancer, as well as the surrounding environment , meaning that existing in the industrial areas and working in places where exposing to chemical materials is increasing heighten the odds of getting injured with cancer.
As regards the methods of cancer treatment, the report underlined that the surgery is among the treatment methods; it is conducted for removing the cancerous cells as much as it goes. Also, another method is the chemotherapy as there are some specific types of drugs used for killing the cancerous cells. One more method is the radiation-based treatment; it is used by directing a type of ray to the cancerous cells and destroying them. Then we have the biotherpaeutics; it is conducted through helping the body's immune system detectand fight the cancerous cells. Finallycomes the hormone therapymethod as some cancerous cells feed on the hormones of the body, and this goes for the breast and prostate cancer. Hence, the hormone therapy helps curbing the excretions of these hormones or stopping its function, leading to abolishing the cancerous cells.
As far as prevention from cancer is concerned, the report shone light on the fact that there are factors reducing the risk of developing such a disease such as stopping smoking, avoiding the direct exposure to the sum beams, sound nutrition, regular exercise, keeping an ideal body weight, and taking some vaccinations as there are specific viruses causing the cancer such as hepatitis B leading cause of liver cancer, and the virus causing the womb cancer. Therefore, vaccination can, Allah willing, prevent from these viruses.
All the more, the report demonstrated that the recovery rates vary among the developed countriesand the developing ones with lowincome and scanty resources, as well as lacking the political, prudent decision in terms of providing the free or cheaply-priced treatment for all the cancer patients. Thus, the developing countries account for more than 70% of cancer-related deaths worldwide.