Will We Be Able to Fight Off Cancer?

Every year, millions of people all over the world die because of cancer. It's a merciless disease that can affect both old and young. Cancer is a deadly enemy that crawls up to you and strikes without a warning. The worst thing about this disease is that it almost never allows any room for hope.

There is hardly anything more terrifying than knowing of your imminent demise, and being able to do nothing to stop it. This is why people invest billions of dollars in research aimed to defeat this horrid disease.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for it yet, but every year the scientists come a step closer to finding the panacea. For example, the latest research on lung cancer helped doctors determine a part of the reason that makes the tumor cells resistant to drugs.

A team of researchers from Manchester has suggested using a special kind of circulating tumor cells in order to track the progress of the disease without subjecting the patient to regular biopsies.

This will help the scientists to understand at what point the cancer cells become resistant to treatment. In the future, this can help save millions of lives, because it will allow making medicines that will destroy the tumor completely.

Know the Risks You Are Facing

The scientists that research cancer are looking not only for the ways to treat the disease, but for prevention methods as well. As the reasons that cause various types of cancer are varied, it's almost impossible to determine what triggers it. However, it has been proven that genetics is hugely responsible for this.

Recently, it has been discovered that an anomaly in a particular gene (BRCA2) can increase the risk of developing some kinds of cancer. This means that people with this changed gene can know what to look out for and how to organize their lifestyle in order to minimize the risk of developing a tumor.

If they go for regular checkups, they will also be able to have the problem diagnosed at the early stages. Therefore, the chances of successful treatment will increase tremendously.

Obesity Is Not a Verdict

It's a well-known fact that obese people are more prone to developing some serious diseases, and cancer is one of them. This is why it's so important to keep your weight in check, because it's not only your appearance that is affected by extra pounds.

Luckily, the research conducted by the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande Sul in Brazil has proved that there is a way for obese people to reduce the risks of developing cancer. A special kind of weight loss surgery can serve as an effective preventive measure in this case.

As the researchers say, bariatric surgery has proven to be extremely efficient in helping people get rid of some excess weight. The studies of several hundred patients that have undergone this surgery showed that the number of those who develop cancer in this group was almost 50% lower than the normal level among the obese people.

Where Does This Road Lead?

It may seem that this progress is small and insignificant, because people are still incapable of finding an effective cure for this disease. However, every small success proves that the scientists are on the right path.

Of course, research takes time, but it progresses and gives hopes to millions. Even the small advances, made in this field today, help saving lives. Therefore, it's essential to appreciate the results of these studies and keep a close eye on them.

Cancer is a problem that can touch anyone, so it's important that every person is informed of how to prevent and detect it.