Cancer - A Killer Disease - Symptoms, Causes and Prevention
Symptoms of Cancer
Doctors and scientists have found out that there are some symptoms that are typical of cancer. Victims feel pain, sometimes lose weight and become tired or they may feel a change in their skin.
Each form of cancer also has other special symptoms: Blood in your urine may be a signal of bladder or prostate cancer. Lumps in a woman’s breast may mean breast cancer. A cough that does not go away and stays for weeks or months may be the first warning signs of lung cancer.
Causes of Cancer
Scientists do not really know why cancer cells start to grow. They sometimes lose their ability to control their own growth. This is because DNA may be damaged. Doctors, however, have found out that there are many factors that cause cancer. Many forms of cancer are caused by our environment. For example, if you expose yourself to the sun’s rays without any protection for too long chances of getting skin cancer will become higher.
Smoking cigarettes can cause lung cancer or other diseases over a certain time. Being in close contact with chemicals may also increase the risk of getting cancer.
Being exposed to radiation for too long may also cause cancer. This happened when the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl exploded in 1986. Cancer became more common in the region for years on.
Other types of cancer are not caused by our environment. They come from our genetic material. We inherit it from our parents or grandparents.
Cancer prevention
About 70% of all cancers are caused by environmental factors and our lifestyle.
The easiest way of preventing cancer is to avoid certain dangers.
- Protect your skin when you are in the sunshine by using skin crèmes or lotion on your body.
- Do not smoke
- Do not drink too much alcohol.
- Eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Go to the doctor regularly for medical checkups.
- Eat wholegrain breads or cereals.
Downloadable PDF Text- and Worksheets
Related Topics
- High Cancer Risks for Fukushima Residents
- Sunscreens and How To Use Them
- New Cancer Treatment Provides Hope for Patients
Words
- ability = if you can do something
- bladder = the organ in your body that holds the urine
- cause = lead to
- cereal = breakfast food made from grain and eaten with milk
- chance =possibility
- check-up = medical examination
- common = widespread
- contagious = same as infectious
- cough =to suddenly push air out of your throat with a short sound
- disease =illness
- DNA = what has genetic information in the cells of the body
- environment = the world around us
- explode = blow up
- expose =here: go out into
- flu = an illness that makes you feel tires and weak; sometimes you get fever
- growth =increase, if something gets bigger
- however = but
- increase = to go up
- infectious =something that can be passed from one person to another
- inherit = to get something from your parents or grandparents
- lifestyle = the way we live
- lotion = crème, milk
- lump = a hard swollen area in your body
- nuclear power plant = place where atomic energy is produced
- pain = the feeling you have when parts of your body hurt
- prevent = keep away from
- prostate = the organ of a man that produces a liquid which carries sperm
- protection = guard, defence, safety
- radiation = a form of energy that comes from nuclear power
- ray = a narrow line of light or energy
- regularly = often, repeatedly
- scientist =a person who is trained in science
- spread = to move from one place to another
- urine = the yellow liquid that comes out of your body
- victim = people who have the illness
- weight = how heavy someone is
- wholegrain = grain that is not processed ; it has all the vitamins and healthy substances in it