“Oh, my friend, it’s not what they take away from you that counts — it’s what you do with what you have left.” — Hubert Humphrey
What does World Cancer Day mean to me?
First and firemost, I am hopeful that one day we'll have a cure for ALL cancers. Secondly, I am reminded of family and friends I've lost along the way to this disease that does not discriminate by age, color, class, or gender. It crosses all those lines and invades our lives daily.
Why does World Cancer Day ring close to home for me?
My father, Carl, died at the age of 70. Colon cancer* My paternal grandfather, Smith E., died at the age of 74. Colon cancer.
My maternal grandmother, Charlene, died at the age of 44. Breast cancer.
My maternal grandfather, Rubin, died at the age of 72. Brain cancer.
My paternal great uncle, Shirley, died at the age of 83. Lung cancer.*
My paternal great uncle, Oliver, died at the age of 98. Lung cancer (diagnosed very late in his life)
My paternal great uncle, Aldolphus, died at the age of 74. Colon cancer.
2nd Cousins: Henry Cunningham. Colon cancer*; Deryl Sweeney Colon cancer.
*metastasized aka mets. ~ I am not certain of all instances of mets or where cancer spread
I have living relatives, including myself, who have been diagnosed and treated. We're living with and on purpose every day.
I never met my grandmother, Charlene, but I started getting mammograms at an earlier age because I knew my family history and risks. My first memory of death was at my grandfather's funeral, Smith. I was only 9 years old. But, I started colonoscopies because I knew my family history and risks.
On the one hand, I lost a great number of my family members to cancer. On the other hand, some of my family members (still) lived well into their 'upper' years. I don't know how many years they might have known they had cancer or what the circumstances where around the original diangosis and if/where/when it might have spread in all the cases.
But, I know enough of the history to know that screenings are necessary.
All that said, be vigilant. Get screened!!!!!
"All cancers develop because something has gone wrong with one or more of the genes in a cell. A change in a gene is called a ‘fault’ or ‘mutation’." -- Cancer Research UK
Question: Can early detection save your life?Lengthen your life?
Short Answer: Yes. Quite possibly.
Screening Tests That Have Been Shown to Reduce Cancer Deaths**
Colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and high-sensitivity fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) These tests have all been shown to reduce deaths from colorectal cancer. Colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy also help prevent colorectal cancer because they can detect abnormal colon growths (polyps) that can be removed before they develop into cancer. Expert groups generally recommend that people who are at average risk for colorectal cancer have screening at ages 50 through 75. For more information, see the Tests to Detect Colorectal Cancer and Polyps fact sheet and the PDQ® Colorectal Cancer Screening summary.
Low-dose helical computed tomography This test to screen for lung cancer has been shown to reduce lung cancer deaths among heavy smokers ages 55 to 74. For more information, see the National Lung Screening Trial page and the PDQ® Lung Cancer Screening summary.
Mammography This method to screen for breast cancer has been shown to reduce mortality from the disease among women ages 40 to 74, especially those age 50 or older. For more information, see the Mammograms fact sheet and the PDQ® Breast Cancer Screening summary.
Pap test and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing These tests reduce the incidence of cervical cancer because they allow abnormal cells to be identified and treated before they become cancer. They also reduce deaths from cervical cancer. Testing is generally recommended to begin at age 21 and to end at age 65, as long as recent results have been normal. For more information, see the Pap and HPV Testing fact sheet and the PDQ® Cervical Cancer Screening summary.
Other Screening Tests**
Alpha-fetoprotein blood test This test is sometimes used, along with ultrasound of the liver, to try to detect liver cancer early in people at high risk of the disease. For more information, see the PDQ® Liver (Hepatocelluar) Cancer Screening summary.
Breast MRI This imaging test is often used for women who carry a harmful mutation in the BRCA1 gene or the BRCA2 gene; such women have a high risk of breast cancer, as well as increased risk for other cancers. For more information, see the BRCA1 and BRCA2: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing fact sheet and the PDQ® Breast Cancer Screening summary.
CA-125 test This blood test, which is often done together with a transvaginal ultrasound, may be used to try to detect ovarian cancer early, especially in women with an increased risk of the disease. Although this test can help in diagnosing ovarian cancer in women who have symptoms and can be used to evaluate the recurrence of cancer in women previously diagnosed with the disease, it has not been shown to be an effective ovarian cancer screening test. For more information, see the PDQ® Ovarian Cancer Screening summary.
Clinical breast exams and regular breast self-exams Routine examination of the breasts by health care providers or by women themselves has not been shown to reduce deaths from breast cancer. However, if a woman or her health care provider notices a lump or other unusual change in the breast, it is important to get it checked out. For more information, see the PDQ® Breast Cancer Screening summary.
PSA test This blood test, which is often done along with a digital rectal exam, is able to detect prostate cancer at an early stage. However, expert groups no longer recommend routine PSA testing for most men because studies have shown that it has little or no effect on prostate cancer deaths and leads to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. For more information, see the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test fact sheet and the PDQ® Prostate Cancer Screening summary.
Skin exams Doctors often recommend that people who are at risk for skin cancer examine their skin regularly or have a health care provider do so. Such exams have not been shown to decrease the risk of dying from skin cancer, and they may lead to overtreatment. However, people should be aware of changes in their skin, such as a new mole or a change to an existing mole, and report these to their doctor promptly. For more information, see the Common Moles, Dysplastic Nevi, and Risk of Melanoma fact sheet and the PDQ® Skin Cancer Screening summary.
Transvaginal ultrasound This imaging test, which can create pictures of a woman’s ovaries and uterus, is sometimes used in women who are at increased risk of ovarian cancer (because they carry a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation) or of endometrial cancer (because they have a condition called Lynch syndrome). But it has not been shown to reduce deaths from either cancer. For more information, see the PDQ® Ovarian Cancer Screening summary and the PDQ® Endometrial Cancer Screening summary.
Virtual colonoscopy This test allows the colon and rectum to be examined from outside the body. However, it has not been shown to reduce deaths from colorectal cancer. For more information, see the Tests to Detect Colorectal Cancer and Polyps fact sheet and the PDQ® Colorectal Cancer Screening summary.
More Information
For complete information about screening tests by cancer type, including tests that are being developed and tests that were used in the past, see the PDQ® Cancer Information Summaries: Screening/Detection (Testing for Cancer).
Sources:
(1) cancer research uk
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/inherited-cancer-genes-and-increased-cancer-risk/family-history-and-inherited-cancer-genes
(2) cancer.gov:
http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/screening/screening-tests