The truth and how to prevent cancer


What is cancer?

Cancer is a class of diseases orcancer could occur anywhere in the body,
disorders characterized by uncontrolledbut humor-theory based treatment
division of cells and the ability ofremained popular until the 19th century
these cells to invade other tissues,with the discovery of cells.
either by direct growth into adjacentThough treatment remained the same, in
tissue through invasion or bythe 16th and 17th centuries it became
implantation into distant sites bymore acceptable for doctors to dissect
metastasis. Metastasis is defined as thebodies to discover the cause of death.
stage in which cancer cells areThe German professor Wilhelm Fabry
transported through the bloodstream orbelieved that breast cancer was caused
lymphatic system. Cancer may affectby a milk clot in a mammary duct. The
people at all ages, but risk tends toDutch professor Francois de la Boe
increase with age, due to the fact thatSylvius, a follower of Descartes,
DNA damage becomes more apparent inbelieved that all disease was the
aging DNA. It is one of the principaloutcome of chemical processes, and that
causes of death in developed countries.acidic lymph fluid was the cause of
There are many types of cancer. Severitycancer. His contemporary Nicolaes Tulp
of symptoms depends on the site andbelieved that cancer was a poison that
character of the malignancy and whetherslowly spreads, and concluded that it
there is metastasis. A definitivewas contagious.[citation needed]
diagnosis usually requires theWith the widespread use of the
histologic examination of tissue by amicroscope in the 18th century, it was
pathologist. This tissue is obtained bydiscovered that the 'cancer poison'
biopsy or surgery. Most cancers can bespread from the primary tumor through
treated and some cured, depending on thethe lymph nodes to other sites
specific type, location, and stage. Once("metastasis"). The use of surgery to
diagnosed, cancer is usually treatedtreat cancer had poor results due to
with a combination of surgery,problems with hygiene. The renowned
chemotherapy and radiotherapy. AsScottish surgeon Alexander Monro
research develops, treatments are(1697-1767) saw only 2 breast tumor
becoming more specific for the type ofpatients out of 60 surviving surgery for
cancer pathology. Drugs that targettwo years. In the 19th century, asepsis
specific cancers already exist forimproved surgical hygiene and as the
several cancers. If untreated, cancerssurvival statistics went up, surgical
may eventually cause illness and death,removal of the tumor became the primary
though this is not always the case.treatment for cancer. With the exception
The unregulated growth thatof William Coley who in the late 1800s
characterizes cancer is caused by damagefelt that the rate of cure after surgery
to DNA, resulting in mutations to geneshad been higher before asepsis (and who
that encode for proteins controllinginjected bacteria into tumors with mixed
cell division. Many mutation events mayresults), cancer treatment became
be required to transform a normal celldependent on the individual art of the
into a malignant cell. These mutationssurgeon at removing a tumor. During the
can be caused by chemicals or physicalsame period, the idea that the body was
agents called carcinogens, by closemade up of various tissues, that in turn
exposure to radioactive materials, or bywere made up of millions of cells, laid
certain viruses that can insert theirrest the humor-theories about chemical
DNA into the human genome. Mutationsimbalances in the body. The age of
occur spontaneously, and may be passedcellular pathology was born.
down from one generation to the next asWhen Marie Curie and Pierre Curie
a result of mutations within germ lines.discovered radiation at the end of the
Many forms of cancer are associated with19th century, they stumbled upon the
exposure to environmental factors suchfirst effective non-surgical cancer
as tobacco smoke, radiation, alcohol andtreatment. With radiation came also the
certain viruses. While some of thesefirst signs of multi-disciplinary
risk factors can be avoided or reduced,approaches to cancer treatment. The
there is no known way to entirely avoidsurgeon was no longer operating in
the disease.isolation, but worked together with
Today, carcinoma is the medical term forhospital radiologists to help patients.
a malignant tumor derived fromThe complications in communication this
epithelial cells. It is Celsus whobrought, along with the necessity of the
translated carcinos into the Latinpatient's treatment in a hospital
cancer, also meaning crab. Galen usedfacility rather than at home, also
"oncos" to describe all tumours, thecreated a parallel process of compiling
root for the modern word oncology.patient data into hospital files, which
Breast cancer in a mastectomy specimenin turn led to the first statistical
(top). The cancerous tumour (palepatient studies.
yellow) resembles a crab (bottom photo,Cancer patient treatment and studies
by Chouby, Hippocrates described severalwere restricted to individual
kinds of cancers. He called benignphysicians' practices until WWII, when
tumours oncos, Greek for swelling, andmedical research centers discovered that
malignant tumours carcinos, Greek forthere were large international
crab or crayfish. This name probablydifferences in disease incidence. This
comes from the appearance of the cutinsight drove national public health
surface of a solid malignant tumour,bodies to make it possible to compile
with a roundish hard center surroundedhealth data across practises and
by pointy projections, vaguelyhospitals, a process that many countries
resembling the shape of a crab (seedo today. The Japanese medical community
photo). He later added the suffix -oma,observed that the bone marrow of bomb
Greek for swelling, giving the namevictims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was
carcinoma. Since it was against Greekcompletely destroyed. They concluded
tradition to open the body, Hippocratesthat diseased bone marrow could also be
only described and made drawings ofdestroyed with radiation, and this led
outwardly visible tumors on the skin,to the discovery of bone marrow
nose, and breasts. Treatment was basedtransplants for leukemia. Since WWII,
on the humor theory of four bodilytrends in cancer treatment are to
fluids (black and yellow bile, blood,improve on a micro-level the existing
and phlegm). According to the patient'streatment methods, standardize them, and
humor, treatment consisted of diet,globalize them as a way to find cures
blood-letting, and/or laxatives. Throughthrough epidemiology and international
the centuries it was discovered thatpartnerships.



1 A B C D E F 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128