Thousands wear teal to raise awareness of ovarian cancer

Washington, D.C. – September marks the nationwide observance of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The first Friday in September -- September 4, 2009 -- was the National Teal Day and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance will lead the efforts of thousands of Americans wearing teal to increase awareness about the deadly disease. Teal was the ovarian cancer community’s color and serves as a reminder that ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all the cancers of the reproductive system and a leading cause of cancer death among women.  

 

In addition to wearing teal, the 47 Partner Member organizations of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance are hosting events across the country including health fairs, walk/runs and fundraisers. The Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation of New Jersey will “Turn the Town Teal” by blanketing their community with teal ribbons, balloons and flyers - an annual affair. The South Carolina Ovarian Cancer Foundation is releasing hundreds of butterflies in memory or in honor of loved ones to benefit ovarian cancer research and awareness. Annette Leal Mattern, ovarian cancer survivor and Co-founder of the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Arizona, says “We reached our goal to inform one million women in Arizona about the symptoms of ovarian cancer this year by partnering with Major League Baseball and the Arizona Diamondbacks. An early diagnosis is a woman’s best chance of survival.”

 

The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance strengthened its voice for the ovarian cancer community through relationships with Cartier, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and TriStar Products, Inc. In addition, the cause has been bolstered by celebrity support from Danica Patrick, Dara Torres, Janet Jackson, Kathy Bates and Rachel Zoe, who have all been touched by the disease in some way.

 

“Talking about this disease at the national level is essential because diagnosing it is so difficult. September is our opportunity to significantly increase awareness across the United States and ultimately, help save women’s lives,” explains Judith Abrams, President of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. 

 

If the following symptoms occur almost daily for more than two weeks, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance advises that women see a gynecologist. These symptoms include: 

 
Bloating 
Pelvic or abdominal pain 
Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly 
Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency) 

 

There is no definitive test for ovarian cancer so experts suggest a combination of pelvic/rectal exam, a CA-125 blood test and a transvaginal ultrasound. 

 

Established in 1997, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is the foremost advocate for ovarian cancer in the United States. Until there is a cure for the disease, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, a 501(c) (3) organization, leads the national initiative to conquer ovarian cancer by uniting individuals and organizations at the local, state, and national levels to advance ovarian cancer research in the quest for early detection tests, improved health care practices, and development of live-saving treatment protocols.

 

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Cancer Preventive Measures

Cancer is a very deadly disease. This disease is one of the most deadly in terms of numbers killed year in and out. According to statistics one in three people will be affected by cancer. And one in four people will die of cancer. However cancer could be prevented in certain situations. The first step in cancer prevention is learning what causes it and the risk factors involved. Avoiding these risk factors can help a person reduce the likelihood of having cancers.

Here are the following risk factors that a person can avoid to prevent cancer.

1. Tobacco – 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States are caused by smoking. It is also responsible for 87% of all people affected by lung cancer. Aside from the lungs, other organs affected by smoking are pancreas, cervix, kidney, stomach and also cause acute myeloid leukemia. Quit smoking to decrease your chances of having cancer. Also try to avoid secondary smoke, secondary smoke can also be deadlier.

2. Have more physical activity – exercise greatly helps reduce your chances of having cancer. Even if it is only for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Exercising will also make you fit against other disease such as heart ailments. Try the exercise activities such as walking, running, aerobics, or yoga. Exercising can also help prevent obesity, which is also one major cause of cancer. Colon, breast, prostrate, endometrial, and lung cancer can have less chances of developing if you are exercising regularly.

3. Genetics – genetics is one of the causes of cancers. When your family has a history of cancer, the best thing to do is just take precaution. If your family has had a history of cancer, the mutated gene which causes cancer may have been passed down. If your family has had a history, you may get a genetic test. Remember that if your family has had a history of cancer it is not certain that you will have it. Your chances of developing it are just greater.

4. Environmental Factors – exposure to certain things within your environment can cause you cancer. Such things like asbestos or benzene can be able to cause cancer.

5. Unsafe Sex – you are suddenly exposed to not only HIV but also HPV. HPV is also known as Human Pappiliona Virus. Having this virus greatly increase a person’s chance of having anal, vulvar, cervical, or vaginal cancer. There are tests that help a person find out if he or she has the HPV virus. You will need to scrape the cervical cells and send them over to a lab.

6. Sun Exposure – greatly exposing yourself to UV rays will cause skin cancer. Be very wise when tanning or being exposed under the sun.

Study: Childhood Cancer Survivors Less Likely to Marry

 

A recent study suggests that childhood cancer survivors are 20% to 25% less likely to marry compared with their siblings and the general American population. It is suspected that some of the lingering effects of radiation—such as issues with thinking and memory, growth and physical functioning—seemed to cause these lower marriage rates among cancer survivors. Lead researcher Kadan-Lottick stated, “While it can be debated whether marriage is a desirable outcome, marriage is generally an expected developmental goal in our society to the extent that most U.S. adults are married by the age of 30. Our results suggest that survivors of childhood cancer need ongoing support even as they enter adulthood.”

Should We Treat Cancer or Prevent Cancer?

Cancer is one of the biggest killers around the world. In America alone, 25% of all deaths are related to cancer.

Many people think of cancer as a single problem but in fact, it is a number of problems spread throughout the body. Generally speaking, if cancer is caught in the early stages of development, it can be treated and cured.

Although there are several different types of cancer, the most common ones are Lung, Prostate, Breast, Testicular, Skin and Colon cancers.

Genes control the multiplication and growth of cells. If these genes are defective in the first place, then the cells will not be able to grow or divide properly. As a result of this abnormality, cancerous cells are born.

There are a number of factors which cause cancer. Factors which are controllable by humans are smoking, toxic elements and radiation. These can be controlled to some degree and therefore it would be wise to avoid them by changing lifestyle habits. However, there are certain elements which are outside our control.
These include mutation and inherited DNA.

As a result of studies conducted by the American Cancer Society, more than 180,000 people have died as a direct result of smoking. Another 200,000 people have died due to lack of changing lifestyle habits. Obesity, laziness and malnutrition can have an effect on the growth of cancer. Needless to say, cancer has risen by more than 50% since 1995.

Let's take a look at some of these cancer causes in more detail.

Smoking: The most prevalent and easily avoidable type of cancer is the one caused by the use of tobacco. This includes the use of cigarettes, cigars and pipes. Even though smokers are addicted to nicotine, the fact that 200,000 people die every year due to smoking caused cancer should be enough motivation to quit. Some experts say that cessation of smoking can increase lifespan by up to 20 years.

Although nothing has been proven, studies indicate that stress may also be a contributing factor to cancer. Many cancer patients are also employed in stressful jobs. Some theologians believe that stress lowers the bodies immunity to cancer.

Exercise and Healthy Eating: Healthy eating and exercise is universally known to be beneficial in many aspects. But, many people don't know that food full of nutrition can reduce the risk of cancer. Specific foods such as fruit and veg can help prevent cancer whilst fatty foods such as meat can increase the likelihood of cancer.

Skin cancer can easily be avoided by simply listening to good advice. Wear sunglasses, hats, sun cream and other sensible items of clothing to avoid the onset of this type of cancer. Although this may seem like common sense, more than one million people have been diagnosed with skin cancer in a single year.

Short description on CANCER

CANCER (medical term: malignant neoplasm) is a class of diseases in which cells are out of control !!! (beyond the normal limits)... Usually, the timing of cell division is under strict constraint, involving a network of signals that work together to say when a cell can divide, how often it should happen and how errors can be fixed... The branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer is oncology..