Our part one article with the first nine facts that everyone should know about cancer really filled you in with important information about this disease, but there is much more to come! To find out everything that there is to know about cancer, keep reading our list of the next set of nine pressing facts that you should know in part two. Don’t forget to check back for our coming articles, parts three through five, to see the remaining 28 pressing facts that you should know about cancer!
Number Thirty-Seven: Prostate Cancer
A virus deemed xenotropic murine leukemia virus (XMRV) was recently discovered in the year 2006. This virus was found to grow in increasing rates within prostate cells, concluding that this virus may have a correlation to the onset of prostate cancer.
Number Thirty-Six: Consuming Nitrates
Nitrates are a chemical ingredient in many of the foods we eat regularly that have been found to increase risk of developing this disease. They are often found in preserved meats such as bacon, lunch meats, and hot dogs. The nitrates in these foods react with the human body’s natural chemical composition to produce harmful carcinogens.
Number Thirty-Five: For the Ladies
For women specifically, breast cancer is the most prominent form of this illness. On a global scale, there are roughly 1.4 million cases diagnosed annually. It is the biggest death threat to women as a whole, resulting in an average of 458,400 annual deaths.
Number Thirty-Four: Infection Risk
It is estimated that roughly 15% of patients affected with this disease contracted it from an infection. This is much more evident in developing countries, where they do not possess the necessary antibiotics to rid the body of the various microbes responsible for its spread.
Number Thirty-Three: The Ball is in Your Court
Many people see the onset of cancer as potentially unpreventable and unlucky, however this isn’t exactly true. Of all diagnosed cancers, it is estimated that more than half are the result of harmful lifestyle decisions, and could have been easily prevented.
Number Thirty-Two: The Most Diagnosed
Among all the various types of cancers, the varieties with the highest number of diagnoses are lung, prostate, and stomach. For women specifically, breast, cervix, and colorectal cancers are the most diagnosed.
Number Thirty-One: Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is a very real and very frightening possibility for many women. In 2008, there was an estimated sum of 529,800 new cases, making it the third most diagnosed cancer in women.
Number Thirty: Cancer in History
This disease has been taking lives in increasing numbers since as early as 1600 B.C. The first recording of which was discovered in the Edwin Smith Papyrus, describing the symptoms of breast cancer before stating “there is no cure”.
Number Twenty-Nine: The Name
The name “cancer” was attained from the Greek word for “crab”. This term was used to describe the disease for its finger-like projections that resembled the creature. It has also been referred to by the Romans as “oncos”, which translates to “swelling”. Don’t forget to check back for our coming articles, parts three through five, to see the remaining 28 pressing facts that you should know about cancer!