Half a million will get cancer every year

Unhealthy lifestyles will lead to half a million cancer diagnoses every year in the UK by 2035, experts believe.

If current trends continue, 150,000 more people will be diagnosed annually, up from about 350,000 at present, the charity Cancer Research UK said.

Women will account for 244,000 cases, with breast cancer predicted to be the most common type, while men will receive 270,000 annual diagnoses. Prostate cancer is expected to be the most common cancer in men.

This means an increase in the number of people affected by cancer, especially women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer. Sure, the treatment of this disease exists in the form of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, different drugs, and multiple surgeries. However, the success rate is not a cent percent yet. In fact, sometimes a treatment used in isolation doesn’t prove much beneficial and it becomes important to combine it with other methods to make it more effective. The only relief in such a situation is that eminent oncology centers like amethyst-radiotherapy.at (find out more here) tend to take a holistic approach to treat cancer, offering a combination of treatments to maximize its effectiveness. This helps to ensure the most beneficial possible outcome for the patient.

While cancer can be cured if detected at an early stage, it could still be challenging for the patient as well as their family to deal with the consequences. Care for cancer patients can be difficult since they may undergo physical and mental problems or even endure a lot of pain in the process. In those situations, care homes and assisted living communities could prove to be a better alternative to living at home throughout cancer treatment. These living facilities can provide the patient with all necessary aids and services along with emergency medical attention (learn more about assisted living on the internet). Not to forget, monetary issues could also arise if the patient doesn’t have appropriate medical insurance. With all this, cancer prevention could be the best course of action to live a healthy and happy life.

The cause of cancer in an individual is often hereditary in many cases. In other words, it is caused by genetic mutations and has been passed from generation to generation, increasing the risk of developing cancer. There are many centers (like ni hereditary cancer screening center) that offer screenings to detect genetic mutations that can be passed from generation to generation, allowing for preventative measures and early treatment. This is a valuable resource for those looking to reduce their risk of hereditary cancer.

The charity said that while most of the rise was due to people living longer – and therefore becoming more likely to be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime – unhealthy lifestyles, such as excess drinking, obesity, and smoking were also to blame.

Dr Rebecca Smittenaar, Cancer Research UK’s statistics manager, said: “The number of people getting cancer in the UK will increase sharply in the next two decades. This is mostly the result of an ageing and growing population but, for women, lifestyle factors are playing an increasingly important role.”

Three-quarters of people do not know that there is a link between obesity and cancer, she added, even though it is the second biggest preventable cause of the disease after smoking.

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said the NHS needs to be planning now for the increase. He said: “We have a serious shortage of specialists in important fields such as radiology, endoscopy, and oncology.”

The small upside is that more and more treatment centres are opening up in the UK every day. Specific care centres for chemotherapy, radiotherapy (Amethyst Radiotherapy is a well-known one), and other cancer treatment services are becoming more common and accessible to the general public. Even with accessible care, however, cancer research is mainly focused on preventing the problem rather than curing it.

“It is vital that people know how to reduce their own risk of cancer as much as possible,” he added.