Current and Emerging Treatments for Cancer



Abstract

For years, cancer has claimed many lives. US has acknowledged it to be the second most common cause of death, with mortality rate spiking to 50%.The incidence rate for all the cancers combined in United States alone, in 1945, was marked by 400 hundred new cases for every 100,000 people. . In 1971 President Nixon, considering the casualties brought by it, declared to wage a 'War on Cancer' and endowed large investments for research on cancer to find antidote for the disease. Since then, scientific efforts towards cancer research have been intensified. This has marked several breakthroughs in the history of medical science.

Current and Emerging Treatments for Cancer

Introduction

Cancer

The word 'cancer' originated from the Latin language denoting crab may be because as the way cancer sticks to any part resembles a crab's behavior. The medical term used for cancer is neoplasia which is from the Greek language means new creation Nowadays cancer is one of the most common diseases spreading all over the world. According to the dictionary it says that cancer is not a single type of disease rather it is a collection of about hundred different forms of diseases, it is a unique disease which has independent growth of cells which travels from the place of origination to other parts of the body very rapidly (www.cancer.gov).

Like every other cell cancerous cells also divide into two on growth. When their number increases to 1 billion then they can be detected by humans through physical or radiological techniques. A great deal of the harmful effects that cancers encounter upon the body may have already taken place at this point. This is because on divisions these cells show great malevolence. The cell starts to deviate from its normal behavior more frequently and starts traveling to nearby organs which further leads to the development of secondary tumors or neoplasm. If this spread is not stopped then this can lead to severe consequences such as death (www.cancer.gov).

Causes of Cancer

The prime reasons for cancer are excessive usage of tobacco, alcohol, disturbed diet, sexual and reproductive activities, transmittable agents, family background, profession and atmosphere Mostly cancer occurs in aged people but generally cancer can strike at any age. Daily practice of having tobacco and alcohol is one of the major reasons for cancer as it affects the most organs including larynx (voice box), mouth, breast, esophagus, bladder, kidney, liver, throat, stomach, pancreas, or cervix. Similarly too much consumption of fat or lack of physical activities leading to obesity has been linked with cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, pancreas, prostate, gall bladder, ovaries, and uterus. Moreover having more than one sex partner, becoming sexually active at an early age and giving birth to children late may also leads to cancer (Stewart, 2004).

Some viruses and bacteria such as Human papilloma viruses(HPVs), Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses, Human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus (HTLV-1), Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Human herpes virus 8 (HHV8), Helicobacter pylori bacterium along with certain hormones ...