Links to Cancer
I. Cancer has been around for nearly as long as any other disease. In the past, other viruses seemed more deadly, but now we are able to cure those diseases, and cancer seems to be the most tragic. Cancer was not as common in the past because back then, people did not live as long. The reason why is it so popular now is not because the disease its self is becoming worse; it is because people are living long enough to develop it. Although most cancers occur in those over the age of 65, it is able to strike any age person at any time. Cancer develops when the cells in our body reproduce and expand in an uncontrollable way. It can be caused by genetic flaw, exposure to chemicals, viruses, etc. The multiple causes of cancer including
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Ten Million new patients are diagnosed with cancer each year worldwide.
1. Six million of these patients are expected to die.
a. 1.4 million are from the U.S.
B. The chances of developing cancer increase with age.
1. Over half of all cancers occur in those over the age 65.
a. When reaching this age it is very important to get tested.
III. Scientists now seem to believe that whatever causes a cell to become cancerous is the damage to its DNA, and there are few genetic links.
A. Almost all genes in the body have 23 pairs of chromosomes, and sometimes they reproduce too rapidly and grow at an uncontrollable rate, which can cause them to become cancerous.
1. The cancerous cells will find their way to any nearby healthy cells and start infecting those, this will eventually spread throughout the body.
2. The healthy cells in the body will automatically divide and try to fix the damaged.
a. When there are too many cancerous cells already spreading, it is hard for the healthy cells to keep up.
B. Very few forms of cancer are shown to be inherited directly through genetics.
1. The most common form that is passed down through inheritance in breast cancer.
a. Even though only five to ten percent of all breast cancers are transferred through families, it is the most