Cancer is killing over 22K people per day! This is ALL need to Know before it's too late!

What is Cancer?

Cancer is a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body.

A malignant growth or tumor resulting from an uncontrolled division of cells.

Cancer is the name given to a collection of related diseases. 

In all types of cancer, some of the body’s cells begin to divide without stopping and spread into surrounding tissues.

                                                                    Credit: National Cancer Institute

Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells. 

Normally, human cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. 

When cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place.

Growing cancer cells (in purple) are surrounded by healthy cells (in pink), illustrating a primary tumor spreading to other parts of the body through the circulatory system.
Image credit: Darryl Leja, NHGRI

When cancer develops, however, this orderly process breaks down. As cells become more and more abnormal, old or damaged cells survive when they should die, and new cells form when they are not needed. These extra cells can divide without stopping and may form growths called tumors.

Many cancers form solid tumors, which are masses of tissue. Cancers of the blood, such as leukemias, generally do not form solid tumors.

In the last decade, the survival rates for most types of cancer in children have improved in developed countries. Up to 80% of the patients survive, thanks to early diagnosis, timely treatment and advances in medicine.
But most children who have cancer live in the developing world where their survival rate is less than 25%.

Fast facts on cancer

Here are some key points about cancer. More detail and supporting information is in the main article below.

1. More than 575,000 people die of cancer, and more than 1.5 million people are diagnosed with cancer per year in the US.
2. Cancer is considered to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide.
3. The financial costs of cancer in the US per year are an estimated $263.8 billion in medical costs and lost productivity.
4. African Americans are more likely to die of cancer than people of any other race or ethnicity.
5. It is believed that cancer risk can be reduced by avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol intake, limiting UV ray exposure from the sun and tanning beds and maintaining a healthy diet, level of fitness and seeking regular medical care.
6. Screening can locate cervical cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer at an early, treatable stage.
7. Vaccines such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine assists in preventing some cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and oral cancers. A vaccine for hepatitis B can reduce liver cancer risk.

SEE HOW TANZANIA IS DOING IT BELOW
VIA BBC
Tanzania launches early-age cervical cancer vaccine

This girl was among the first to receive the HPV vaccine after its campaign launch in Tanzania. AGENCIES.

• More than 600,000 girls in Tanzania have started receiving vaccines to prevent cervical cancer.

• Girls aged between nine and 14 are being targeted to protect them from developing the illness at an early age.

• "Prevention is better than cure, elongating lives and and reducing treatment costs," said Dr Daphrosa Lyimo, heading the government rollout.

• Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in Tanzania and kills more women than any other form of the illness.

• Tanzania is the seventh African country to introduce the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine into its routine immunisation programme, after Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, Mauritius, Seychelles and South Africa

8.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the numbers of new cancer cases is expected to rise by about 70% over the next 20 years.

9.The most common sites of cancer among men are lung, prostate, colon, rectum, stomach and liver.
The most common sites of cancer among women are breast, colon, rectum, lung, cervix and stomach.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT CAUSE CANCER.

1. *Weight gain is strongly linked to an increase of various cancers. SEE MORE HERE 

1. *A high consumption of red or processed meat increase risk of bowel cancer. Nitro samines in the meat damage the DNA. 

1. *drinking too much alcohol can lead to development of mouth, throat,esophageal, liver & bowel cancer, & breast cancer.

1. *Overconsumption of dairy products can be a risk of prostate, ovarian & breast cancer development as a result of too much calcium, saturated fats, polutants, & cow spray toxins being injested. 

1. *Sugar feeds cancer. Before a PET (positron emision tomography) scan for cancer is done, the patient is injected with a small amount of radioactive trace, typically a form of glucose. All tissues absorb a small amount of the tracer, but cancerous tissue absorb more than the rest. That shows what happens if you over endulge in carbohydrates. 

1. * other things that cause cancer:hot tea (mouth,throat), strong salt (throat), cigarette (lung), caramel (in coke & sweets)

FREE Cancer Screening Service Providers

Check the Network directory section for organizations that provide free cancer screening events and the cancer treatment providers section for hospitals that provide screening services. This listing is separate from the cancer screening services provided at government and private hospitals.

Medanta Africare, Golden Plaza, Waiyaki Way, Nairobi. Provides cancer screening services.

Nairobi Pathology & Allied Services, LTD, Dr. Mutuma G.Z., Consultant Pathologist, Vision Plaza, Mombasa Road, 2nd Floor, Room 37, Nairobi, nairobipathology@hotmail.com, +254 (0) 0722 801 299, +254 (0) 0734 801 299. Provides consultation in histo-cytopathology, forensic and medical legal services, health education, cancer screenings, prevention and control.

Pathologists Lancet Kenya, Ltd., 5th Avenue Office Suites, Opp. Traffic HQ – Upper Hill, 5th Ngong Avenue, Ngong Road, +254 (0) 703 061 000, +254 (0) 703 061 000, +254 (0) 20 273 5123, info@lancet.co.ke. Additional locations around Nairobi, plus Eldoret, Garissa, Kibra, Kisumu, Malindi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Nyali, Thika. It is an internationally accredited laboratory that provides cancer screening and diagnostic testing services for all cancers, through tests that are clinically validated. Tests are done at subsidized rates for public hospital patients and needy cases.

Path Care Kenya, Ltd., Regal Plaza, Limuru Road, Nairobi, +254 (0) 20 375 3416, +254 (0) 20 243 0854,
 +254 (0) 20 243 0753, enquiries@pathcarekenya.com. Provides cancer screening services.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Your Diagnosis

Credit: iStock

Learning that you have cancer can be a shock and you may feel overwhelmed at first. When you meet with your doctor, you will hear a lot of information. These questions may help you learn more about your cancer and what you can expect next.

1. What type of cancer do I have?
2. What is the stage of my cancer?
3. Has it spread to other areas of my body?
4. Will I need more tests before treatment begins? Which ones?
5. Will I need a specialist(s) for my cancer treatment?
6. Will you help me find a doctor to give me another opinion on the best treatment plan for me?
7. How serious is my cancer?
8. What are my chances of survival? SOURCE.

Could berries help to fight cancer?

According Medical  News,Compounds found in a range of berries may soon help to treat cancer and slow the aging process. According to a new study, the magic resides in their naturally occurring pigments.

iStock photo

Pigments found in berries offer a new insight into the mechanisms behind cancer.

There is little more pleasing to the eye than a freshly plucked berry. Part of this beauty is thanks to their pigments, or anthocyanins.

Particularly prevalent in blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, and blackcurrants, the antioxidant capabilities of anthocyanins have intrigued researchers for years.

Cancer situation in Kenya

SOURCE:

QUICK FACTS

=>Over 20% of Cancer Patients in India are from Kenya

see more below 

13 Kenyan MPs being treated in India for cancer

Juja MP Francis Munyua Waititu, popularly known as Wakapee, addresses media upon return home on Friday after successful treatment for brain cancer.

Nine MPs and four Senators are among thousands of Kenyans being treated for cancer in Indian hospitals, a legislator who was successfully treated for brain cancer says.

The identity of the MPs cannot be revealed but most of them are booked at Apollo Hospital outlets in New Delhi and other cities in the country.

Approximately 10,000 Kenyans travel abroad every year in search of treatment and end up spending at least Sh10 billion in the same period, according to the ministry of Health.

1. In Kenya, cancer ranks third as a cause of death after infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases. It causes 7% of total national morality every year. 
2. Although population based data does not exist in the country, it is estimated that the annual incidence of cancer is about 28,000 cases and the annual mortality to be over 22,000. 
3. Over 60% of those affected are below the age of 70 years. 
4. In Kenya, the risk of getting cancer before the age of 75 years is 14% while the risk of dying of cancer is estimated at 12%. In many developing countries the rapid rise in cancers and other non-communicable diseases has resulted from increased exposure to risk factors which include tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol and exposure to environmental carcinogens. 
5. Other risk factors for some cancers include infectious diseases such as HIV/IDS (Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphomas), Human Papilloma Virus(HPV), Hepatitis B & C (Liver cancer), bacterial infections such as Helicobacter Pylori (cancer of stomach) and parasitic infestations such as schistosomiasis (cancer of bladder)The leading cancers in women are breast, oesophagus and cervical cancers. 
6. In men, oesophagus and prostate cancer and Kaposi sarcoma are the most common cancers. Based on 2002 data from the Nairobi Cancer Registry, of all the cancers registered breast cancer accounted for 23.3%, cervical cancer for 20% and prostate cancer for 9.4%. In 2006, around 2,354 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and 65% of these died of the disease.
7. According to the regional cancer registry at KEMRI, about 80% of reported cases of cancer are diagnosed at advanced stages, when very little can be achieved in terms of curative treatment. This is 2011 – 2016 largely due to the low awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, inadequate screening services, inadequate diagnostic facilities and poorly structured referral facilities

CANCER SURVIVORS IN KENYA

Research by Joshua Mbaga

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