US Mortality, 2001 No. of deaths % of all deaths Rank Cause of Death 1. Heart Diseases 700,142 29.0 2. Cancer 553,763 22.9 3. Cerebrovascular diseases 163,538 6.8 4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases 123,013 5.1 5. Accidents (Unintentional injuries) 101,537 4.2 6. Diabetes mellitus 71,372 3.0 7. Influenza and Pneumonia 62,034 2.6 8. Alzheimer’s disease 53,852 2.2 9. Nephritis – Kidney Disease 39,480 1.6 10. Septicemia 32,238 1.3 Cancer accounts for nearly one-quarter of deaths in the United States, exceeded only by heart disease. In 2001, there were 553,768 cancer deaths in the US. Source: US Mortality Public Use Data Tape 2001, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003.

Ranking, number and percentage of deaths for the 10 leading causes, Canada, 2000 and 2009   2000 2009 rank number % All causes of death … 218,062 100.0 ... 238,418 Total, 10 leading causes of death 175,149 80.3 182,139 76.4 Malignant neoplasms (cancer) 1 62,672 28.7 71,125 29.8 Diseases of heart (heart disease) 2 55,070 25.3 49,271 20.7 Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) 3 15,576 7.1 14,105 5.9 Chronic lower respiratory diseases 4 9,813 4.5 10,859 4.6 Accidents (unintentional injuries) 5 8,589 3.9 10,250 4.3 Diabetes mellitus (diabetes) 6 6,714 3.1 6,923 2.9 Alzheimer's disease 7 5,007 2.3 6,281 2.6 Influenza and pneumonia 8 4,966 5,826 2.4 Intentional self-harm (suicide) 9 3,606 1.7 3,890 1.6 Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney disease) 10 3,136 1.4 3,609 1.5 All other causes 42,913 19.7 56,279 23.6

Carcinomas – Are cancers of Epithelial Tissues Sarcomas are cancers of Connective Tissues

APOPTOSIS – Programmed cell death after mutation or getting old Anaplasia = Cells without maturity and differentiation Dysplasia = They don’t look right

In Normal Growth Cells Exhibit “Contact Inhibition” – In other words, when they grow into a neighboring cell, the rate of cell division slows down to an appropriate level

In cancerous growth, cells lose their Contact Inhibition property, they often release enzymes to digest healthy surrounding tissues to make room for their increased growth

The scientific term for a tumor is “NEOPLASM” NEO =NEW PLASM =TISSUE

METASTASIS – Moving beyond the original site

Some tumors are not considered to be CANCEROUS Some tumors are not considered to be CANCEROUS. They do not metastasize as they become encapsulated. These are BENIGN tumors. They should still be removed as they deprive the body of nutrients, may cause discomfort and may even lead to death if not caught in time.

A MALIGNANT tumor, a true "cancer," is a much more serious health problem than a benign tumor because cancer cells can spread to distant parts of the body. For example, a melanoma (a cancer of pigmented cells) arising in the skin can have cells that enter the bloodstream and spread to distant organs such as the liver or brain. Cancer cells in the liver would be called metastatic melanoma, not liver cancer. Metastases share the name of the original ("primary") tumor.

Low Grade tumors are not very aggressive

What stage is it in?

But is it Genetics or Environment?

Most well documented link between cancer and a virus is Cervical Cancer in females. Approximately 99.7% of all cervical cancer are caused By some strain of HPV (Human Papiloma Virus) So what is the huge breakthrough from a few years ago?

Aged immune system plus more exposure to carcinogens.

Symptoms of Cancer Remember one word: CAUTION Changes in bowel or bladder habits. A sore that will not heal. Unusual bleeding or discharge Thickening or lump in breast or any part of the body. Indigestion or difficulty swallowing. Obvious change in any wart or mole Nagging cough or hoarseness. The treatment of cancer is successful if found early. The bad part is many cancers do not have any symptoms. Remember one word CAUTION. Here are some things to look for: Changes in bowel or bladder habits. Chronic constipation, diarrhea, size or frequency. Painful urination, blood in the stool. A sore that won’t heal. Skin cancers may bleed and resemble a sore. A sore in the mouth could be oral cancer. Another thing to look for is a recent change in a wart or mole. Unusual bleeding or discharge. A thickening or lump in your breast or any part of the body. “Come On! “A” for “A sore” That is a terrible memory device

CAUTION is a nice word but it is a lousy acronym… So I have an even better one B U T I N Wart or mole - change Sores that do not heal Bowel or Bladder habit changes Unusual bleeding or discharge of fluids Thickenings or lumps Indigestion or difficulty swallowing weightloss Nagging cough or hoarseness