By GORDON J. RAFOOL Gessler Clinic Published: Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 7:05 a.m. last Modified: Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 7:05 a.m.
the American Cancer Society has listed five most common causes of cancer in men and women. They do not take into consideration, though, that in both sexes skin cancer is the most common cancer.
Skin cancers are extremely prevalent in both sexes. It is known that sunlight will definitely contribute to skin cancers. Most skin cancers are easily treated and because they are on the skin, they are generally detected early. the only skin cancer that is much more aggressive and is the kind of cancer of the skin that no one wants is a melanoma. Melanoma is the kind of cancer that develops from a mole and changes rapidly and will spread in a much shorter time than any other type of skin cancer.
The five most common cancers in men are prostate, lung, colon and rectum, bladder cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. For women, it is very similar, but instead of prostate, it is breast cancer, but both of these cancers, breast and prostate are in the same general class.
The majority of cancers are adenocarcinomas. the second most common in a woman is lung and, third, is colorectal, and the fourth is uterine cancer in a woman, but the fifth is the same as in a man and that is non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. For both men and women, the leading cause of hormonal-derived cancers, meaning that in the man it is the prostate and in the woman it is breast. In men, it is known that testosterone plays a role in prostate cancer, whereas in the woman, estrogen plays a role in breast cancer.
The second most common cancers in both men and women is lung cancer, and there is no question that the environment plays a significant role in this. the leading cause of lung cancer is cigarette smoke, either directly by the person or someone smoking around them.
Most people are familiar with colorectal, bladder, and uterine cancer. Cancers that most people do not recognize are those known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This is a group of cancers that actually are approximately 20 different kind of diseases. It is a cancer that affects the blood system and its proteins. It is more common in older patients and in patients whose immune system is not functioning normally. It is seen in people who have had organ transplants and those people who are infected with HIV. This group of cancers shows strong evidence of some type of virus as a possible cause.
The first symptoms of this kind of cancer can be a painless enlargement of lymph nodes, primarily in the neck, arm or groin. That is why it is a good idea if a person is experiencing an enlargement of lymph nodes, they should see their doctor right away for an evaluation.
There are many treatments today for cancer. these treatments are effective in many cases. It is important for anyone 40 years and older to have a complete evaluation by their family doctor on a regular basis.
Dr. Gordon J. Rafool is a specialist in family practice and geriatrics at Gessler Clinic in Winter Haven.