Cancer! Medical communties doing enough? truth about the harsh reality?

Question

Ok, My father(72) and my sister(29) both died from cancer in 2002 and my oldest brother died from unknown reasons a few months before them(cancer?). A close friend of the family killed herself(26) last week because both her Mom and Dad just died from cancer. Seems like every one i know, knows someone ,possible a close family member, who has or who died from it. Im asking if the medical communties and the governments is doing enough about this HUGE problem?

Answer 1

From what I understand the medical community is doing a good job with children and with senior citizens when it comes to warning people about cancer. Children are seen regularly by a pediatrian and screened for diseases. Senior citizens are regularly screened and warned about cancer. Where the medical community fails to educate is with adolescents and young adults.

There is a lot of misinformation floating around too about health and diet. People wrongly assume that if they don't smoke, eat all the right foods, exercise, and take health supplements that they will be protected from getting cancer. Thus, healthy young people often ignore the signs of cancer until it is advanced. A healthy young adult can live a long time with aches and pains and unusual symptoms before the cancer starts to take a toll. In fact, many young people discover their cancer accidentally either playing sports, getting an injury and having the cancer discovered in the Emergency Room. Young people tend to ignore symptoms and believe that because they are healthy that it cannot be cancer. And, the medical community has not helped to get the word out to this particular age group.

The fact is that smoking does not cause cancer in all people that smoke . . so the public is lulled into the misconception that you can only get lung cancer if you smoke . . not true. Anyone can get lung cancer . . even non-smokers. Smoking is definitely not good for the body, but the message needs to get out that cancer can happen to anyone, at any age, no matter how fat, skinny, healthy or unhealthy they are. Being health conscious will not necessarily protect you from cancer. Even athletes get cancer . . think skater, Scott Hamilton or bicylist Lance Armstrong. Being healthy helps you fight cancer, but it won't prevent you from getting cancer.

No one knows why one person will get cancer but another will not. Why when all people are exposed to carcinogens, only one might get cancer and not the rest. Why infants and children get certain types of cancer while seniors get a totally different type of cancer.

Lance Armstrong is advocating for young adults with cancer. He is trying to educate the public that even young people get cancer. It has only just been recently that the medical community has recognized that adolescents are neither a pediatric patient or an adult patient but a unique patient with totally different medical and emotional needs.

Live Strong Foundation
http://www.livestrong.org/

So, the answer to your question is that no, I don't think the medical community is doing enough to educate the public that all ages can get cancer. They are failing to alert young adults about this danger.

Answer 2

Mankind has been working on a cure for cancer since the early 30's and yes, we can cure many forms of cancer. The biggest problem is that most forms go ignored or undetected until its " too late" for medicine to help. Right now, the 5 year survival rate for lung cancer is 95%, if caught early. In stage two, the 5 year survival rate is about 68%. The longer someone ignores their body giving them signs and getting it checked out, the lower their odds of survival.

If there is a strong family history, then that person should have regular check ups for cancer. Its sad when we are so busy, we ignore the warning signs and go on with life when a short doctor visit could have saved a life.

A young man I know was horseback riding and at some point, the horse bucked and he landed on the saddle horn. After two days of testicle pain, he went to his doctor, who, after an exam, ran some tests and found early stage testicular cancer. This young man had been having some subtle signs and symptoms, but ignored them, until he was hurt. That was 14 years ago and he is still doing well and cancer free.

Don't waste time, get regular check ups. Ladies, Pap smear, and mammograms should be an annual event. Guys, colon and prostate cancer are real killers, so have regular check ups. Anytime your body hurts or does something different more than once, make it a point to at least get it checked out.

Answer 3

No they are not, there is little of no support before during or after treatment. You see all these smiling faces on the Tv for some fundrasing race for the cause. Hell, it jsut is not like that. I had radical radiation and tweenty four surgeries. My organs were perforated inside. There was no support, no social service offered. My husband seen me through but it ruined our relationship. I am living with the after effects of treatment which are 100 times worse than the cancer itself. There are some support groups, Guilda Radnor's Place, the Wellness Community, Anderson Center of Tx has a website. But the srvices are very thin and not substancial. When I get well I would like to do something about that. I would allow people to really express themselves and try to help on a practical level. Forthe most part it isleft to the families and individual to suppor themselves.