Free Term Paper on Cancer

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Cancer

Today there are one in three people worldwide who are affected by cancer, and almost 60% of these people will almost certainly die. 7000 New Zealanders die every year from this disease. It is the second largest killer next to heart disease. Cancer does not just affect certain groups of people, it can affect anybody and it is not just one disease, it refers to more than a hundred diseases. Cancer is caused by carcinogens. At present, hundreds of chemicals are known to induce cancer. Normally, the body’s cells divide in an orderly way, allowing the body to grow and to heal after injury. Damage or mutations that occur to the proto-oncogenes (POG) and tumour suppresser Genes (TSG) in the genetic material (DNA and RNA) by these carcinogens bring about Cancer, which causes cells to have less control of cell division and differentiation. POGs lead to changed cells or transformed cells and cause excessive cell division. Further mutations cause the cells to become immortal. These cells continue to divide and form a ball of cells. These cells require a lot of energy and fluids flowing to maintain the high rate of the cell division. When these balls become too large for fluids to flow through, the middle of the ball dies. TSG’s act as anti-proto-oncogenes, they regulate the rate of cell division. POG’s and TSG’s constantly compete to overpower each other. These TSG’s can be mutated and this brings about a change in the control mechanism of cell division. Cells are stimulated to divide through a growth factor. Growth factor molecules bind to cell membranes of cells and send a chemical message to a receptor in the cell membrane. The receptor sends a message through the cytoplasm to the nucleus to stimulate cell division. Sometimes when these growth factors are absent the receptor in the cell membrane is mutated to send out the message to the nucleus. Cells are also stimulated to divide through the two proteins, cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases. When these two join together, this stimulates cell division. These proteins act on the growth inhibitor proteins P53 and PRP, which are growth inhibitor proteins. Tumours may be malignant, spreading or benign, non-spreading. Malignant tumours are aggressive, invasive, and mobile. They invade healthy tissue and continue to divide. The original cancer is called the primary tumour. If the tumour is malignant, the disease may develop in other parts of the body where secondary tumours may form. This is known as metastasis. Cancer causes illness through local growth, spread to distant organs, and overall effects of the disease on the individual. Treatments of cancer vary. Tumours may be surgically removed if they have not metastasised. Other methods are usually used if the tumour has metastasised. For chemotherapy drugs are used to kill cancerous cells as they divide. Radiotherapy is another standard way of treating cancer, ionising radiation aimed at the tumour will prevent the cells from dividing further. So what makes cancer more special than other diseases? The answer is that there is no cure and scientists are not optimistic of finding one in the near future. Today people are far more knowledgeable about cancer and how it may be avoided than 10 years ago. It has now been found that as many as 80% of all cancers may be avoidable. The most common types of cancer in New Zealand are female breast (14%), male prostate (14%), trachea, bronchus, and lung (12%) and colon (11%) Given that such a large proportion of cancers may be avoidable, why isn’t there a reduction in cancer incidence? This may be because our educational programs are not appropriate and perhaps even due to people’s ignorance. Female breast cancer and male prostate cancer can almost always be cured if detected and treated in time. For the early detection of female breast cancer appropriate programs such as monthly mammogram and breast self-tests have been introduced. But I believe that male prostate cancer has not been addressed enough (more?). 80% of lung cancers have been found to be caused by smoking. Today billions of dollars are spent throughout the world on cancer especially in developed countries of the western world where a lot of money is freely available. Most of this research is carried out by private organisations and therefore ethnic minorities appeal to be included in their research. Dietary factors underlie as many as 35% of all cancers. Of this 35%, almost 80% of the patients are colon cancer patients. The government has taken on a major preventative scheme, introducing the 5+a day dietary standards to improve the intake of more fruits and vegetables into people’s daily diets. This aims at reducing bowel cancer in New Zealand, which will no doubt save lives. For these reasons, cancer is a contemporary issue. Biological, ethical and social issues surround it. It also seems that a lot has been done to prevent it but there is so much further to go, and this would ultimately reduce the number of lives that the cancer claims.
References
http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/
http://www.fhcrc.org/
http://www.cancerresearch.org/
 

Prevent Cancer - Will a Daily Shot of Wheatgrass Juice Help? Term Paper or Essay Information
By Judy Ford

Cancer seems to hit suddenly yet it has usually been developing in the victim’s body for many years. There could be some cancer lurking away in the hidden parts of most of our bodies. Some of us could be facing a cancer diagnosis in the near future. It is very frightening but is there anything we can do?


Most of the publicity about cancer is focused on cures. Some of the information discusses risk factors but this latter information is usually fairly difficult to interpret. We know, for example that smoking greatly increases the risk of lung cancer. But we also know of people who smoked all their lives without developing lung cancer. Leaving aside the negatives, let’s look at folic acid, a nutrient that seems to be universally good for our health.


Folic Acid turns up again and again as one of the “good guys”. However it works in cooperation with Vitamin B12 so both need to be consumed simultaneously. Folic acid supplementation prevents birth defects known as neural tube defects. It also reduces birth defects in women taking antiepileptic drugs, which themselves cause folate deficiency. It also lowers blood homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease.


As a geneticist I often studied cells grown in culture with low folic acid. It is well known that deficiencies of folic acid are associated with breaks in chromosomes and that giving extra folic acid corrects the problem. Since a break is usually the first event in the evolution of a cancer cell, it is critical to minimize breaks. The initial genetic damage is often caused by other toxic agents but the folic acid plays a critical role in the repair of this damage.


How do studies on people shape up?


Intervention studies show that cellular measures of chromosome damage are minimized when people take more than 200 – 400 μg folic acid and more than 2 μg vitamin B12 each day. Controlled studies suggest that intakes of 700 μg folic acid and 7 μg B12 are appropriate intakes for young adults. It is expected but not yet proven that high folate and B12 consumption will protect against all cancers. Thus far there are studies that prove that taking a supplement with folic acid protects against colon cancer. There is also evidence that high folate counteracts the effects of drinking alcohol, which otherwise increases the risk of breast cancer in women.


Wheat Grass Juice Wheat grass juice is a fantastic health supplement and is an incredibly rich source of folic acid. One 100 gm shot will give you 1,110 μg folic acid and at the same time supply you with most of the other B group vitamins, Vitamin A, C and E as well as the minerals you need. Unlike most vegetables, it also contains Vitamin B12 although 0.8 μg, not as high as the concentrations advocated by the studies. So whilst you can use Wheatgrass to really top up on your vitamins, minerals and folic acid, you will need some extra B12 to reach the levels recommended by the invention studies. If you want to get this from food, the highest food sources of B12 are shellfish and crustaceans. Fish are quite a rich source but have far less than the other sea-foods. Dairy and eggs have similar amounts to wheatgrass itself so a combination of wheatgrass with an egg and a piece of cheese or glass of milk will give sufficient intake. For strict vegetarians, it is wise to supplement.


Although there are other steps that are important in cancer prevention, a daily shot of wheatgrass will put you well ahead in your optimal health program.

 

Dr Judy Ford, an internationally respected geneticist has researched causes of cancer and steps that can be undertaken to prevent cancer or greatly reduce personal risk. Dr Ford worked for 30 years in Cancer Research, specializing in how genetic material can be damaged by some chemicals and radiations and why cells sometimes misdivide. She now works as a Science Communicator, explaining Science in lay terms and showing people how to modify their lifestyles to reduce their risks of cancer.

You can access her new E-Book: “Know Your Enemy: Understand and Reduce Cancer Risk” by visiting: http://www.the-lifestyle-doctor.com/preventcancer.shtml. You can find a great resource for information and supply of organic wheatgrass juice by visiting http://www.the-lifestyle-doctor.com/au-nsw/bondiwheatgrassco.shtml.

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