Breast cancer Screening

The breast is made up of different tissue, ranging from very fatty tissue to very dense tissue. Breast cancer  begins when healthy cells in the breast change and grow out of control, forming a mass or sheet of cells called a tumor. A tumor can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread. Breast cancer spreads when the cancer migrates  to other parts of the body or when breast cancer cells move to other parts of the body through the blood vessels and/or lymph vessels. This is called a metastasis.
 Although breast cancer most commonly spreads to nearby lymph nodes, it can also spread further through the body to areas such as the bones, lungs, liver, and brain. If breast cancer re-surfaces after initial treatment, it can recur locally, meaning in the breast and/or regional lymph nodes.

 Breast cancer screening can be done in several ways :

• Mammography. Mammography is a type of x-ray specifically designed to view the breast. The images produced by mammography can show tumors or irregularities in the breast. 
•  Clinical breast examination. A medical professional looks and feels for any changes in the breast’s size or shape. The examiner also looks for changes in the texture of the breasts and nipples. 
•  Breast self-examination. During this exam, a woman looks and feels for changes in her own breasts. If she notices any anomalies, she should see a doctor. 
•  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI is not regularly used to screen for breast cancer. But it may be helpful for women with a higher risk of breast cancer, those with dense breasts, or when a lump is found during a breast exam. 

 For the diagnosis of most types of cancer, a biopsy is the only sure way for the doctor to know if an area of the body has cancer or not. In a biopsy, the doctor takes a small sample of tissue for testing in a laboratory. A doctor may consider these factors when choosing a diagnostic test:

1.  The type of cancer suspected .
2. Your signs and symptoms. 
3. Your age and general health .
4. The results of earlier medical tests.  

The series of tests needed to evaluate a possible breast cancer usually begins when a woman or her doctor discover a mass or abnormal calcifications on a screening mammogram, or a lump or nodule in the woman’s breast during a clinical or self-examination. Less commonly, a woman might notice a red or swollen breast or a mass or nodule under the arm.

Being a Cancer Advocate.

Who is an  advocate? An advocate is someone who supports or defends a cause. In the cancer community, an advocate supports or defends a cause regarding cancer. Cancer advocates can work on a local, national and international level by:

•  Raising public awareness of the disease and related issues.
• Giving support to those living with the disease. 
• Helping in the advancement of cancer research.
• Improving the quality of cancer care and much more.. 

It also includes serving  the educational needs of the community as well. This is what CAM is all about. We  want to encourage everyone to  take part in defending this cause as there are many people affected by cancer and need help for their lives to be improved and made better. That is the role of a cancer advocate. You will definitely  realize that it is a positive and emancipating experience. It helps to identify which advocacy opportunities match your interests, skills, and abilities. Expressing the importance of cancer screening and early detection, speaking with community groups about critical issues  such as communicating with local and national media about cancer-related issues, raising money for cancer research .

To help alleviate financial barriers, many groups do fundraising.
 Advocates can plan or participate in local and national fundraisers. For example, they could donate money directly to a cancer group, donate money through a workplace-giving program, volunteer for a fundraising walk or run, buy products from sources that donate a percentage of profit to cancer causes , participating in community outreach and education  etc.
So, in what way or manner do you think you can be able to help the cancer advocacy movement in their cancer advocacy duties?

We need all the assistance we can get and we will value all your contributions, be it idea-wise, easy access to conferences, financially, or how best to communicate with people to  help us know the exact needs of cancer patients.
To help this organization fulfill and accomplish that which it was created for in line with what  people actually do need out there, anyone who feels the need and passion of joining this team is gladly welcome, best regards.

Lung Cancer awareness

Lung cancer is associated with smoking. Patients do feel that they won’t get much support or help because they know that others think that their behaviour caused the disease. Most smokers do not develop lung cancer, and not all individuals diagnosed with lung cancer smoke. Lung cancer is a disease that can affect anyone. The majority who get lung cancer today have either stopped smoking years earlier or never smoked.

Lung cancer affects more than 2.1 million individuals world wide. Lung cancer is treatable, no matter the gravity or how far it has developed.
There are 2 main classifications of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These two types are treated differently. 

SCLC begins when healthy cells in the lung change and grow out of control, forming a mass called a tumor, a lesion,or a nodule. SCLC begins in the nerve cells or hormone-producing cells of the lung.The term “small cell” refers to the size and shape of the cancer cells as seen under a microscope.

NSCLC begins when healthy cells in the lung change and grow out of control, forming a tumor,a lesion,or a nodule. A lung tumor can begin anywhere in the lung. A tumor can be malignant or benign. Once a malignant lung tumor grows, it may shed cancer cells.These cells are carried away in the blood or float away in bodily fluid called lymph, that surrounds lung tissue. 
Lymph flows through tubes called lymphatic vessels that drain into collecting stations called lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are the tiny, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection. They are located in the lungs, the center of the chest, and elsewhere in the body. The natural flow of lymph out of the lungs is within the chest's cavity, which explains why lung cancer often spreads there first. When a cancer cell moves  into a lymph node or to a distant part of the body through the bloodstream and develops, it is called metastasis (development of secondary malignant growths at a distance from a primary site of cancer).

NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer.

Risk factors and prevention against developing SCLC and NSCLC include: 

-Regular exposure to tobacco smoke and  environmental (second hand) tobacco smoke increases a persons risk of lung cancer, so its best to avoid tobacco smoke.

-Asbestos (crystals found in many types of rocks) when inhaled irritates the lungs and are very dangerous and often lead to lung cancer especially for those working in the domain of ship building, asbestos mining and etc. So using protective breathing equipment reduces the risk.

-Exposure to radon an invisible odorless gas naturally released by some soil and rocks increases the risks of lung cancer. So homes and basements should be ventilated enough to reduce radon exposure.

Other substances: such as toxic gases or chemicals in the environment can increase an individual’s risk of developing lung cancer. People exposed to cooking smoke from coal or wood might increase risk of lung cancer. Also,fumes from diesel and petrol combustion or from soldering metals could increase the risk of lung cancer. Other factors that may increase the risk of lung cancer include exposure to radiation,arsenic,nickel etc.

Keep on getting more information

Check out the attached video, and

For further information and support,

Call the CAM line on +(237)696424448,+ (001)4052017641,+(237)670064962 

or visit Https://no-tocancer.blogspot.com 

or email: annabel.waluma@flourizon.com, waluma2006@gmail.com. 

For donations visit  https://www.chuffed.org/project/canceradvocacymovement

Behavioural circumstances that favour cancer development.

As we already know, cancer is caused by genetic changes leading to uncontrolled cell growth and tumour formation. Cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle awareness. Regular consumption of junk and fried food, lack of exercise , obesity, excessive alcohol etc do also lead to emerging cancers.

A minority of cancers are due to inherited genetic mutations and others stimulated by many different lifestyle factors. Diet and obesity account for  30-35% of cancer deaths. Excessive alcohol does increase the risk of developing cancers of the liver, colon, stomach and etc due to alcohol related nutritional deficiencies.

Regular exercises are good and excellent ways of preventing inflammations. As little as 20 minutes of exercise per day has anti-inflammatory effects. It's been prooven that inflammation plays an important role in the development and progression of cancer. Chronic inflammation can lead to Dna damage over time and accumulation of random genetic alterations in cancer cells. So inflammations do contribute to proliferation, survival, angiogenesis and migration of cancer cells.

 So let us please take note of these points and implement proactive habits against emerging cancer upon ourselves.

Environmental carcinogens

A carcinogen is a substance that promotes cancer formation due to its ability to damage the genome or cause the disruption of cellular metabollic processes. Exposure to some chemicals and harzardous substances can increase the risk of cancer. Cancers caused by involuntary exposure to environmental carcinogens most likely occur in sub groups of the population, especially workers in certain industries.

Carcinogenecity is generally associated with synthetic chemicals, but it is likely to arise in both natural and synthetic substances. Natural carcinogens like mycotoxins resulting from metabolism of molds and  aflatoxin B produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus growing on stored grains, nuts and etc are few examples of potent naturally occuring carcinogens.
Certain viruses have been found to cause cancer in humans, like the Hepatitis B virus and the Human papilloma virus.

Synthetic environmental risk factors are in two groups:
Radioactive carcinogens and non- radioactive carcinogens. Radioactive carcinogens are radiations, most especially ultraviolet radiations.
non-radioactive carcinogens for example are exposure to tobacco smoke, second hand smoke, industrial smoke (from plastic factories or fuel emission from engines etc), certain dioxins, vinyl chloride from which polyvinyl chloride is made and many more.

Ultraviolet Radiation

Radiation is the release of energy from any source. Ultraviolet radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation that comes primarily from the sun. High levels of  ultraviolet radiation is carcinogenic to human body tissues. This raises the risk of developing cancer, especially breast cancer and melanoma (cancer of the skin), and a strong factor includes the amount of radiation that gets into the exposed area.

Too much ultraviolet radiation from the sun damages the genetic material (DNA) in the cells of the skin and beyond. If enough damage builds up with time, it will cause cells to start growing out of control  leading to emerging cancer.

We cannot avoid sunlight completely for it is not healthy to do so because we fundamentally need vitamin D from the sun. So taking precautions like appropraite  clothings that will protect our skin will limit uv radiation penetration. Also when outside, staying in a shade most especially during midday hours is one of the best ways to limit your ultraviolet radiation exposure from sunlight.

NB: Time of the day ultraviolet rays are strongest is between 10 am - 4 pm.