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Prostate Cancer Awareness: Understanding its Risks, Symptoms, and Management
What is a Prostate Gland? The prostate is an inverted cone-shaped gland in a male reproductive system located just below the bladder in between the base of the penis and the rectum. It secretes an alkaline fluid which forms part of the semen – the fluid released from the penis during ejaculation. What is prostate cancer? Prostate cancer occurs when accumulated genetic changes (DNA mutations) in normal prostate cells transform them to abnormal cancer cells. The cancer cells grow uncontrollably and live longer than usual, infiltrating the surrounding tissue. Prostate cancer poses a significant health burden, being the most common cancer in males worldwide and the second commonest cause of…
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Lung Cancer Awareness: How much do you know about lung cancer?
What is lung cancer? Lung cancer is a malignant growth that originates in the lung tissues when normal lung cells change to abnormal cells, which multiply uncontrollably and invade the surrounding healthy lung tissues. The cancerous cells can spread to other parts of the body via lymphatic or blood vessels by a process known as metastasis. According to Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCON) 2020 cancer statistics and estimates of 36 cancers from 186 countries, lung cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, surpassed only by breast cancer.It causes the highest number of cancer deaths, about 1.8 million deaths annually. What are the risk factors for lung cancer? The following are…
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Breast Cancer Awareness: What you need to know about Breast Cancer
What is Breast Cancer? Breast cancer is a condition that arises when normal breast cells accumulate abnormal changes in their genetic material (DNA mutation) and are transformed into harmful cancer cells that grow uncontrollably and live longer than usual, damaging surrounding breast tissue. The cells can spread to other sites in the body by a process known as metastasis. Breast cancer can affect males and females, but it’s more common among females. It is the commonest cancer among women, with up to 2.3 million new cases and close to 700,000 deaths attributed to the disease worldwide. The rate at which new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed is higher in…