By Rene V. Carbayas
As part of the month-long observance of the Department of Health, some 40 communications and information officers of various government and non-government agencies and institutions gathered in a forum, highlighting the observance of the month of January as Cancer Awareness month.
Resource person, Bernardita F. Hontucan, a nurse of the City Health Office of Isabela acknowledged that cancer is indeed “a scary word and a scary disease that has killed a lot of people all over the world.”
Although, it is not identified as one of the top 10 killer disease in the region, there is a reason for Basilan to be concerned, especially among women who are prone to breast cancer. Hontucan noted that quite a number of people in Basilan has been or is contracted with the disease.
“The good news is,” however, she said, “while many were killed of cancer, millions of people who have had cancer are still alive, because doctors have learned a great deal about treating and preventing cancer.”
Hontucan emphasized, however, that prevention is still the best cure. And that by prevention means that one should be aware of the disease and its causes. She discussed the different causes of cancer that include tobacco, alcohol, diet, sexual and reproductive behavior, infectious agents, family history, occupation, environment, and pollution.
A participant also pointed out that based on a recent study, stress has also become one of the probable cause of cancer among women. Mary Joy Luzon, DepEd nurse in charge cited that women today have multiple roles and tasks (i.e. as mother, wife, worker, employee, etc) that contribute to stress.
According to the estimates of the American Cancer Society (ACS), approximately 40% of the cancer deaths in 2003 were due to tobacco and excessive alcohol use. An additional one-third of the deaths were related to diet and nutrition. Many of the one million skin cancer cases were due to overexposure to ultraviolet light from the sun's rays.
A video documentary on the importance of breast self exam (BSE) among women, married or unmarried, was also an opportunity even for male participants to be aware of the risks and advocate the issue to the women in their life.
The speaker explained that cancer is not a single disease. It includes more than 100 different diseases. They may affect any part of the body. But they have one thing in common: they are all caused by cells that are out of control.
Science taught us that all living things are made up of cells. An adult human body has about 30 trillion cells and they reproduce by dividing in half. In an adult body, about 25 million cells divide every second. Sometimes a cell gets out of control and divides over and over. And that’s what cancer is – unhealthy cells, growing and reproducing out of control. These cells are said to be cancerous.
When cancerous cells multiply, they form clumps called tumors. Tumors can interfere with important body processes. Cancerous cells can also spread to other parts of the body, then new tumors form. This spreading is called metastasis and this is the most dangerous. When cancer attacks several parts of the body, it is hard to stop.
Health authorities have persistently reminded the citizens through the observance of the cancer month on the gravity of the disease and that cancer is still curable whenever detected early.
Following the forum, the PIA and the members of the BASCOMNET present have suggested to hold series of fora on health related concerns in support to the advocacy of the country’s health department, including all other government agencies’ monthly observance and celebration. (PIA9-BST)
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