Hesperian Health Guides
Chapter 24: Cancer and Growths
Cancer is a serious sickness that can affect many parts of the body. If treated early it is often curable, but left too long it usually leads to death, because many places do not provide care for cancers. Early signs of cancer are often missed because:
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| Cancer cells are so small, you need a microscope to see them. |
- basic health care services do not include cancer screening.
- when womenâs health is not valued and they are busy caring for others, women with cancer often do not get health care until it is too late for treatment. See Miraâs story.
- people may be afraid to talk about cancer, especially when they are treated badly by those with wrong ideas about what causes it. Cancer is not caused by magic spells or curses.
What is cancer?
The human body, like all living things, is made up of tiny cells that are too small to see without a microscope. Sometimes these cells change and grow in abnormal ways, causing growths (tumors). Some growths go away on their own. But some get larger or spread and may cause health problems. Most growths are not cancer, but some are.
âTumorâ is another word for a growth, lump or swelling. Some tumors are cancer and some are not.
Cancer starts when cells begin to grow out of control and take over parts of the body. Cancer that is found early can often be removed by surgery or treated with chemotherapy (medicines) or radiation therapy, with a good chance of if it being cured. Once cancer spreads, however, stopping it is more difficult and eventually becomes impossible.