Cancer is a word that elicits a range of emotional responses, primarily because it is often
associated with the unknown. We all know someone who has had cancer, and unfortunately, in many cases it can mean prolonged suffering. This makes the mental picture of cancer even more deeply ingrained in our memory. One of the most daunting aspects of cancer is its all-encompassing nature. Many of us have been personally touched by it and have seen its devastating effects on our loved ones.
It's sobering to consider the statistics: men have a one in two chance of developing cancer in their lifetime, while women have a one in three chance. In South Africa, the diagnosis rate is pretty much equal between the genders. Men, however, tend to be diagnosed a little later in
life, possibly because they seek help later than women.
The Big Five Cancers
There's no one cancer, and there's no one screening test. Therefore, we must focus on the 'Big Five' in each gender group. For men, this includes prostate cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and non-melanoma skin cancers, and for women, it includes breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, and non-melanoma skin cancers.
Your chances of surviving cancer increase dramatically if it's caught early. Over the past 50
years, there has been a 30 to 40% increase in the five-year survival rate thanks to better
detection methods. However, if the cancer has metastasized or spread to other parts of the
body, the prognosis is not good. This underlines the importance of early detection.
Prevention and Screening
The key to combating cancer is early detection and prevention. Unfortunately at the moment, there is no screening test for 70% of all cancers. However, we should utilize the tests that
are available to us.
For instance, skin cancer is one of the top four cancers for both men and women in South
Africa. Fortunately, it's an easy disease to screen for because it can be seen, and a visit to the dermatologist or GP can lead to early detection and treatment.
For men, a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test is one of the screening options available.
Although it's not a perfect test, it's a useful tool in our cancer-fighting arsenal. For women, a
mammogram is a crucial screening test for breast cancer.
It's essential to make these screening appointments a routine part of your healthcare
regimen. If you live in a sunny part of the world like South Africa, where skin cancers are prevalent, you may need to see a dermatologist regularly. Once you've booked an appointment, make sure to schedule the next one for the following year; this ensures that regular screening becomes a part of your routine healthcare.
Early detection is the key to surviving cancer. By familiarizing ourselves with the 'Big Five'
cancers and making regular screening a part of our healthcare routine, we can increase our
chances of catching cancer early and improving our survival rates.
In our next blog post (Part 2) we will take an in-depth look into skin cancer as well as prostate cancer.
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