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Cancer |
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Cancer is a disease of the body's cells. It causes uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells that ultimately destroy vital organs, which can lead to death. Cancer is the term used to describe about 100 different diseases including malignant tumours, leukaemia (a disorder of white blood cells), sarcoma of the bones, Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (affecting the lymph nodes) in which uncontrolled cell growth threatens the rest of the body. |
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The most common cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) is colorectal or bowel cancer, followed by cancers of the breast and prostate, melanoma and lung cancer.
There are more than 100 different types of cancer, but these five most common types account for 60% of all cases. In men in Australia, the most common cancers are (in order) prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers and melanoma. The most common cancer in women is breast cancer, followed by colorectal cancer, melanoma and lung cancer.
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1 in 3 men and 1 in 4 women will be directly affected by cancer before the age of 75.
In Australia each year, more than 88,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed.
More than half of them will be successfully treated.
The survival rate for many common cancers has increased by more than 30 per cent in the past two decades.
The most common cancers in Australia (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) are colorectal (bowel), breast, prostate, melanoma and lung cancer.
In New Zealand there were over 17,900 new cases of cancer diagnosed.
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In some cases, it isn’t known or is unclear. What is known is that there are chemical, physical and biological agents that trigger the cell changes that cause cancer, such as: tobacco, ultraviolet radiation and asbestos.
A number of cancers do share the same risk factors, one in eight cancers and one in five cancer deaths are due to smoking. Many cancers occur as a direct result of dietary influences, from infectious agents or exposure to radiation (especially skin cancers from ultraviolet radiation), while a few result from inherited faulty or altered genes.
It is also believed that cancer may be caused by stress, but there is not yet any reliable evidence to support this.
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The type of cancer treatment or combination of treatments that a patient has depends on the type and stage of the cancer. This treatment is called oncology.
The most common types of cancer treatments are surgery (some cancers can be cured if the tumour is detected and surgically removed before the cancer cells spread.), chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs) and radiotherapy (radiation treatment which kills cancer cells or stops them from multiplying). Often these treatments are most effective when used together.
The main goal of treatment is to cure the disease, but if cure is not possible, different treatments may be used to control the cancer.
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In Australia:
The Cancer Council Helpline is a free, confidential telephone information and support service run by Cancer Councils in each state and territory.
Cancer Council Helpline:
13 11 20 (a local call from anywhere in Australia) between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
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