Cancer Cases Are On the Rise

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world with over 9.5 million cases recorded yearly on average. Not all of these cases are terminal but they are all very certainly life-changing. A cancer diagnosis is something that we all fear, that we all hope against hope we will never come up against and that if we do have to deal with it, changes our lives forever. Cancer cases have risen steeply over the past few decades and it is important to take the time to try and unpack the reasons why.

Why Is Cancer So Prevalent?

Cancer is prevalent in our society today in greater volume than ever before for a few reasons. The first is that we are now exposed to more chemicals than ever before. Cancer-causing chemicals were not all that common in the early years but as our need to grow and expand increases the creation of new chemicals and materials is necessary. These cancer-causing chemicals are common now and we now have more research to back up what they do and to determine that they are in fact causing cancer.

Not only are there now more things in our lives that cause cancer or that have the potential to cause cancer, we now have better capabilities to diagnose cancer and to identify it in those that are affected. With more diagnostic procedures present than ever before what might have gone down as some other illness in the past can now be positively identified as cancer. We also have more risk factors in place than ever before and more possible causes to deal with as well.

Not only that, long exposure factors are now coming to light. In the 1970s asbestos stopped being a common building material. Asbestos causes mesothelioma, as older buildings are being demolished and this harmful material is being discovered, it is now that those that have had prolonged exposure to it are developing cancer. You can find out more on Asbestos.Net.

Will Cancer Trends Change?

As with any illness, the trends are sure to change. Scientists predict that worldwide cancer rates are going to nearly triple by the year 2040. Hopefully, by then there will be more medical advances as well that help to treat and manage difficult types of cancer. Cancer is something that we all dread and that many people will come in contact with in some capacity during their lifetime.

It is now more important than ever to take the time to arm yourself with knowledge, to reduce risk factors, and to work toward reducing your own chances of getting cancer or for those that you love to contract the disease. With worldwide cases of cancer on the rise, there is no certainty that we will get rid of cancer anytime soon or that it will become less of a risk. The best we can hope for is that there will be new medical advances that can help to manage and eventually cure this terrible disease.