1.1.0 Cancer, a global health problem
Cancer is an important global health issue which affects millions of people annually and burdens national health systems. Despite modest reductions in the incidence of certain cancer types, overall the prevalence of cancer is increasing worldwide (1). It has been estimated that approximately 14.1 million people were diagnosed with cancer, in 2012 (2). The increase in cancer incidence is attributed to various causes such as the increase in population age as well as daily life habits which include obesity, poor diet, smoking and alcohol consumption (1).
Oesophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth highest cause of cancer-related mortality. Oesophageal cancer results in high fatality rates, with a calculated 400,200 deaths out of 455,800 cases in 2012 (3). The five-year survival rate for oesophageal cancer is shockingly low at 12-15% (4). The poor survival is thought to be due to late diagnosis of the disease, invasiveness of surgery and a lack of targeted therapies. Importantly, oesophageal cancer
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The Lauren classification separates gastric cancer into two histological types; intestinal and diffuse (8). Oesophageal cancer is either oesophageal squamous carcinoma which is the most extensive type of oesophageal cancer in Asia or oesophageal adenocarcinoma which comprises the majority of oesophageal cancer cases in the UK and Europe (9). A recent study published in Nature Medicine in 2015, used high-throughput sequencing to characterise gastric cancer subtypes and devise a genetic categorisation system; tumour protein 53 (TP53) active and inactive, microsatellite-unstable and mesenchymal-like diffuse tumours (10) . Classification of subtypes of cancer by molecular profiling should further understanding of tumour evolution and genomic heterogeneity, and may inform clinical decision making
Esophageal carcinoma, the eighth most common cancer in the world, includes squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (Sun, Lin, Chen, Liang, &Hsieh, 2015; American Cancer Society, 2015). Squamous cell carcinoma is simply damaged esophageal cells; however, adenocarcinoma occurs when glandular cells replace squamous cells in the esophagus (American Cancer Society, 2015). While squamous cell carcinoma was once the most common form of esophageal carcinoma in the United States, adenocarcinoma has taken its place with speculation placed towards the increase of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (Baldwin, 2015). These two manifestations of cancer account for approximately 90% of diagnosed esophageal cancers, while the remaining 10% of esophageal
For one, gastric cancer affects many people. In 2011, an estimated 74,035 people in the US had been inflicted with gastric cancer ("SEER Stat Fact," 2013). Additionally, this year, an estimated 22,220 additional people will receive the diagnosis of the stomach cancer ("Stomach (Gastric Cancer)," 2014). Though these numbers may not seem to indicate much of a problem in the United States when compared to prostate cancer's 233,000 estimated new cases and breast cancer's 232,670 estimated new cases, gastric cancer has a significant impact worldwide, being the cancer with the second highest mortality rate ("New Targeted Drug," 2014; "SEER Stat Fact," 2013).
There are twelve major types of cancer that affect most Americans and they can be related by the mutation of genes. Cancer is not just one disease, but a massive group with over 100 diseases by unrestrained and vicarious growth of the cells in the body and have the ability of the cells to propagate. One out of every four Americans will die from cancer. It is the second leading cause of death in this country, surpassed only by heart disease. Five to ten percent of cancer are genetic and hereditary. 1.2 million new cases are found in every year the United States, “Men have a one in two lifetime risk of developing cancer, and for women the risk is one in three” (Freivogel 201).
Each day, hundreds of people find themselves face to face with the word “cancer.” There is an estimate of 4600 new cancer diagnosis each day. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the united states, and is a major health concern worldwide. However, over the past 3 decades the survival rate for all cancers has climbed over 20%.
Esophageal cancer begins with glandular cells in the esophagus that form a benign or malignant tumour. If it is benign, then it usually isn’t fatal and through surgery can be removed. However, if it is malignant, then the cancerous cells can damage healthy cells and tissue in the esophagus and spread to other places in the body through metastasis. Adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus are two types of malignant
Esophageal cancer, or oesophageal cancer, is a lethal variation of cancer globally ranking sixth as the leading cause of cancer-associated deaths and eighth as the most common type of cancer (Pennathur et al. 2013). In contrast to other parts of the world, the United States has experienced a decrease in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma incidence rates and a distinct increase in esophageal adenocarcinoma, which corresponds to increased obesity and gastroesophageal reflux rates over the years (Simard et al. 2012). Along with increasing incidence rates, esophageal cancer is associated with a 15-25% survival rate of five years regardless of treatment, poor prognosis due to diagnosis during the cancer’s later stages, and predisposition to metastases regardless of tumor type (Pennathur et al. 2013, Chen et al. 2013). In addition, patients who have been treated are at risk for high incidences of recurrence and approximately 90% of patients are faced with mortality from esophageal cancer (Lou et al. 2013), all of which contributes to the poor prognosis associated with the disease. With increasing incidence rates and poor prognosis, esophageal cancer poses challenges to healthcare providers in finding effective and standardized guidelines with respect to screening, treatment, and surveillance.
Firstly, in hopes of understanding what esophageal cancer is, one must first understand what the esophagus is. The esophagus is a muscular tube connecting your throat to your stomach. It’s primary purpose it to transport food to the stomach and is usually between 10 – 13 inches long. Furthermore, the esophagus is lined with smooth muscle tissue, which causes contracts without conscious thought, moving the food along to the
Gastric cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the world. Most stomach cancers are adenocarcinomas and according to Lauren classifications divide to intestinal and diffuse types. It's caused by many factors such as genetic, environmental, age, gender, race, ethnicity factors. H. pylori infection is the most important factor. The bacteria is a carcinogen type A. Helicobacter pylori is a gram negative and spiral bacteria. And its urease activity neutralizes the stomach acid. The bacteria cause stomach inflammation that could eventually lead to stomach cancer. In this review, we consider the role of Helicobacter pylori in gastric
Cancer is a serious and ever growing disease throughout the United States and across the globe. According to data from the National Cancer Institute (2016), about 39.6% of men and women will receive a cancer diagnosis within their lifetime. Due to advancements in screening and treatment, more people are now living with cancer longer than ever before. In 2014, there were close to 14.5 million people living with a cancer diagnosis and this number is going to rise nearly 5 million over the following 10 years (NCI, 2016). The 5-year survival rate for all cancers is also quite high at 68%. Despite the hopeful fact that survival rates are increasing, the incidence rate is also growing, meaning more people are being diagnosed with cancer (Von Roenn et al., 2013).
Cancer is the cause of death in one out of four people in the United States.{Cronin, 2014 #124;Ward, 2014 #128} The mortality rate has been almost constant in spite of all new discoveries to cure cancer in the past few decades{Cronin, 2014 #124}. This shows that several contributing factors play major roles. The practice of clinical oncology focuses on the diversity on cancer cells.
Cancer is very common throughout the United States and has shown increase numbers of cancers around the world. As the term cancer is referred to the condition where the body's cells begin to grow and reproduce in an uncontrollable manner. Cancer cells are able to invade and destroy healthy tissue, including organs. As cancer cells can sometimes begins in one part of the body before spreading throughout the entire body systems. Cancer was never a high-priority disease and was often pushed to the side due to the fact that there was no treatment, harsh conditions, and low diagnosis; but today's century we have the technology to overcome cases and able to handle them and find treatments for various cancers. There are many types of cancers that
Cancer has affected the lives of each and every one of us alive today. Many people have know someone with cancer, yet even those who haven't have been bombarded with constant reminders of its terrible threat. Although cancer is often referred to as a single condition, it actually consists of more than 100 different diseases, all characterized by the uncontrolled growth, reproduction, and spread of abnormal body cells. All of these diseases are individually unique, yet the basic processes that produce cancers are very similar (Ruddon, 1995). The human body consists of over 30 trillion cells, living in a complex, interdependent harmony. They regulate each other's proliferation; normal cells reproduce
The increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide has been a growing concern with the percentage of adults with a body-mass index classifying them as overweight or greater increasing from 1980 at 28.8%, to 2013 where it reached 36.9% [1]. Risk of developing comorbidities due to obesity is high, notably a fivefold increase in incidence of hypertension and 10% of cancer deaths in non-smokers are affiliated with obesity [2]. It is of interest that specifically oesophageal cancer has increased in prevalence recently alongside obesity in the developed world, becoming the sixth most common cause of cancer mortality [3] [4].
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world, with nearly 1.4 million new cases diagnosed in 2012. Almost 55% of the cases occur in more developed regions. About 95% of those diagnosed are adenocarcinomas, malignant tumors that form from glandular structures of the epithelial tissues, and mortality is primarily due to hepatic metastasis. It is predicted that by 2035, there will be 2.4 million cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed annually worldwide. http://www.wcrf.org/int/cancer-facts-figures/data-specific-cancers/colorectal-cancer-statistics