Cancer

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HealthWiki > Where Women Have No Doctor > Chapter 24: Cancer and Growths > Cancer

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In this chapter:

 

In this chapter:

Cancers of the cervix, breast, and womb are very common cancers. Cancers of the lung, colon, liver, stomach, mouth, and skin are also common.

Causes of cancer

Cancer does not spread from person to person. You cannot get cancer by being near or caring for a person with cancer, eating with them, or washing their clothes.

It may not be possible to know the direct cause of a person’s cancer. But these things make people more likely to get cancer:

• smoking tobacco, which is known to cause lung cancer, and also increases the risk of getting most other cancers
• breathing smoke from tobacco or cookstoves, or vehicle exhaust
• certain viral infections, like HIV, hepatitis B, or certain types of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus)
• lack of nutritious food, including enough fruits and vegetables
• working with or living around many chemicals (especially pesticides, dyes, paints, and solvents)

Older people are more likely to get cancer than younger people. And a few types of cancer “run in families,” meaning you are more likely to get that cancer if your blood relatives have had it.

More Information

staying healthy

Healthy living conditions prevent many cancers. Eat nutritious food and avoid things that may cause cancer. For example:

• Do not smoke or chew tobacco.
• Avoid or limit drinking alcohol.
• Try to avoid harmful chemicals in your home or workplace, including foods grown or preserved with them.
• Help get laws passed to stop pollution.

Cancer treated early can often be cured

Finding cancer early can often save a woman’s life, because she can get treatment before the cancer spreads. Some cancers have warning signs that show something may be wrong.

Cancers that do not have early signs can often be found with screening tests, which are tests given to healthy people to see if everything is normal. Pap tests and visual inspections are both screening tests for cancer of the cervix. A mammogram is a screening test for early signs of breast cancer.

If you have warning signs or a test shows something may be wrong, do not wait. Follow the advice in this chapter for finding and treating the problem as soon as possible.

This page was updated:13 Nov 2023