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Cancer Essay

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. It can affect people of all ages but risk increases with age. While rare in children and young adults, behaviors such as smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity in teenage years and young adulthood can increase cancer risks later in life. Early detection through screening and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help prevent cancer and lead to better health outcomes.

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Camille Joy Balili
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142 views4 pages

Cancer Essay

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. It can affect people of all ages but risk increases with age. While rare in children and young adults, behaviors such as smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity in teenage years and young adulthood can increase cancer risks later in life. Early detection through screening and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help prevent cancer and lead to better health outcomes.

Uploaded by

Camille Joy Balili
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Cancer Essay

Cancer can affect everyone no matter how old they are. After heart disease, cancer is the

second most common cause of death in the United States. It accounts for nearly 1 of every 4

deaths. Everyone can develop cancer. Since the risk of being diagnosed with it increases with

age, most cases occur in adults who are middle aged or older. Luckily, there are ways to fight

against it. Even though it seems like anybody can fall victim to cancer at any time, it can be

prevented. A proper diet and lifestyle can help prevent cancer. Cigarette smoking and alcohol

consumption, which can be easily avoided, are causes of cancer. Obesity, physical inactivity, and

poor nutrition are also causes of cancer. All of these things can be easily avoided by building

good habits. On top of avoiding these things, one could participate in regular screening tests to

detect cancer symptoms early and remove them. Early detection of cancer usually leads to less

extensive treatments and better outcomes.

Cancer is staged depending on the size of the main tumor. If the cancer cells are only

present in the initial layer of cells where they developed, the stage is in situ. If the cells have

penetrated the initial layer, the stage is categorized depending on the magnitude of the spread.

The stage of cancer is usually determined by the TNM cancer staging system. It assesses the

tumor in three ways: the extent of the primary tumor (T), the absence of the regional lymph node

involvement (N), and the absence of the distant metastases (M). Once these categories are

determined, they're assigned stages of 0, I, II, III, or IV. Stage 0 represents situ, stage I is early,

and IV is the latest. Each cancer has its own unique staging system.

When one has cancer, one of the biggest problems is usually the cost. It takes a lot of

money to pay for the treatments for cancer. The National Institutes of Health estimated that the

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overall cost of cancer in 2008 was $201.5 billion. Cost is a huge problem when it comes to

cancer treatments because many Americans lack health insurance, so they have to pay for the

treatment from their own pockets. Failure to comply prevents the patients from receiving optimal

health care. According to the US Census Bureau, one in every ten children lacked health

insurance coverage. The uninsured patients are usually the ones who get diagnosed when the

cancer is already at a late stage. This causes the treatment to be more extensive and costly. The

risks also increase and the cancer is in its most critical stage.

A huge factor in the incidence of cancer is age. Cancer is relatively rare in children ages 0

to 14. Less than 1% of the total cancers diagnosed are in this age group. As one grows older,

they're more likely to get cancer. Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer. It accounts for

a third of all child cancer related cases. Just like children, cancer is relatively rare in teenagers

and young adults ages 15 to 24. Germ cell tumors make up the most commonly diagnosed group

of cancers in young men.

In our contemporary society, teenagers and young adults ages 15 to 24 have bad habits

such as eating junk food, sleeping late, or maybe even physical inactivity. Some of these kids

might also participate in many unhealthy activities such as the consumption of alcohol or drugs.

All of these things can cause cancer. One might believe that a significant portion of teenagers

that are diagnosed with cancer fall into one of those categories. And although it might or might

not be true, it's safe to assume that these activities contribute to diagnosed cancer in the future.

The safest way to avoid cancer in the future is to start building good habits when young. Take

advantage of the low cancer rates in children and young adults. Based on this information, it's

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obvious that bad habits have a significant impact on cancer cases. Children 15 years of age or

younger rarely participate in the activities that teenagers and young adults engage in.

In conclusion, cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States. It

can happen to anyone, and its chances increases with age. Although it's rare in children and

young adults, it's still possible to affect them later in life. The best way to prevent cancer is to

have a healthy lifestyle and build good habits. On top of that, it's advised to get regular

screenings to detect early cancerous symptoms. Earlier detection prevents extensive treatments in

the future and better outcomes. The earlier you can treat it the less costly it will be.

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Works Cited

"Cancer Facts & Figures 2013." American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society Inc, 2013.

Web. 10 December 2013.

"Cancer Incidence by Age." Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research UK, 26 July 2012. Web. 10

December 2013.

"Cancers in Young People." National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. Web. 10

December 2013.

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