IMPORTANCE OF CANCER EDUCATION IN TANZANIA.
Introduction
Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs; the latter process is referred to as metastasis. Metastases are the primary cause of death from cancer.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020( according to WHO report)
Most of leading cancers in our country are cervical cancer, breast cancer, oesophageal cancer, anorectal cancer, prostate cancer, head and neck cancers and skin cancers. Most of patients received to hospital have third and fourth stage of cancer due to late manifestation of most cancer symptoms.
Cancer education is a knowledge about cancer, cancer risk factors and causes, symptoms, prevention and treatment that can help people in fighting against cancer as every individual is at risk of getting cancer.
Everyone is exposed to risk factors of different cancers with cancer education, prevention and curation of cancer can be highly achieved in our country.
Now in our country cancer education is emergency situation and everyone must take responsibility on making sure that proper education is given to people. By doing that we can save millions of people who at great risk of getting cancer and those that have cancer to get treatment early( this can help to increase survival rate of patients).
Why cancer education to whole society?
Everyone is at great risk of getting any type of cancer because billions of cells in our bodies struggle to Change from normal cell to malignant, and this happen only when our bodies are exposed to cancer risk factors. In this case everyone must be vigilant about cancer and do everything to avoid being subjected to risk factors. most of these cancer risk factors can be avoided if people are aware of them.
Cancer can be staged int four stages ( I, II, III and IV), first and second stages have high possibility of curation but for later stages curation have low possibility to none as many complications manifested. At first stage, most of cancers rarely show symptoms and that make difficult for people to know if they have cancer without clinical diagnosis. With few cancer diagnostic centers and lack of cancer education most people realize that they have cancer during late stages. This makes fight against cancer difficult.
In our country few people have proper education about cancer causes, risk factors, prevention and treatment. People in remote areas and those accessible to good medical services are eligible to education but those in rural and pleces without good medical centers get cancer education when they already have cancer which is of no help to them, this proved true by a research conducted at ocean road cancer institute (ORCI) to access cancer awareness with a sample number of 200 patients, about 80% of patients were unware about cancer.
Cancer education is very important to people who do not have cancer so that they can make sure to follow advised ways to resuce risks of getting cancer and if they get, they can get treatment early.
Government and non government organization should put high priority in providing cancer education in whole country and introduce free cancer diagnosis in rural area and pleces where this service is needed. Until nowdays only small fraction of cancer patients get diagnosis and treatment, large number are unaware of they conditions and this is big problem in our country.
With Cervical cancer and anal cancer case study.
Nowdays there are many local and improper reproductive education in social Media which has lead to many cancers cases because as long as any advice and teaching help them to get reproductive benefit they take it without considering any harm that can be brought by that advice. And without proper knowledge about things which can lead to cancer many had become victims.
Also as among of cancer risk factors having many sexual partners oral sex and anal sex make people more prone to cervical cancer, anal cancer and oesophageal cancer but in our communities many people practice these things and they are unaware that they can get cancer by doing this.
We have tried to our level best to educate people about cancer but because of lack of funds we only provide to patients relatives at ocean road cancer institute. This is not enough because majority of people from interior parts of never get opportunity to reach to our center, so they unclear about cancer education although they are victims of this calamity.
For instance in 1913 American people established American Cancer society with it main roles as to make cancer issues as national priority by helping and supporting people with cancer and educating the society about cancer and they have made a great success in fighting against cancer. Also in our country if this problem was to be taken as national priority we can make a great work in fighting against cancer and only we can if we are United.
To conclude people need this education and people to deliver that education are ready to do that task, I'm among of them. I ask government and non government organizations to aid us so that we can give society what we have and save or make them aware of cancer. We can fight, prevent and cure cancer only if people have clear education about cancer and it's treatment.
References.
1.Tanzania cancer country profile of 2020.
2. Americans cancer society article of
3. WHO report of September,2021.
Introduction
Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs; the latter process is referred to as metastasis. Metastases are the primary cause of death from cancer.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020( according to WHO report)
Most of leading cancers in our country are cervical cancer, breast cancer, oesophageal cancer, anorectal cancer, prostate cancer, head and neck cancers and skin cancers. Most of patients received to hospital have third and fourth stage of cancer due to late manifestation of most cancer symptoms.
Cancer education is a knowledge about cancer, cancer risk factors and causes, symptoms, prevention and treatment that can help people in fighting against cancer as every individual is at risk of getting cancer.
Everyone is exposed to risk factors of different cancers with cancer education, prevention and curation of cancer can be highly achieved in our country.
Now in our country cancer education is emergency situation and everyone must take responsibility on making sure that proper education is given to people. By doing that we can save millions of people who at great risk of getting cancer and those that have cancer to get treatment early( this can help to increase survival rate of patients).
Why cancer education to whole society?
Everyone is at great risk of getting any type of cancer because billions of cells in our bodies struggle to Change from normal cell to malignant, and this happen only when our bodies are exposed to cancer risk factors. In this case everyone must be vigilant about cancer and do everything to avoid being subjected to risk factors. most of these cancer risk factors can be avoided if people are aware of them.
Cancer can be staged int four stages ( I, II, III and IV), first and second stages have high possibility of curation but for later stages curation have low possibility to none as many complications manifested. At first stage, most of cancers rarely show symptoms and that make difficult for people to know if they have cancer without clinical diagnosis. With few cancer diagnostic centers and lack of cancer education most people realize that they have cancer during late stages. This makes fight against cancer difficult.
In our country few people have proper education about cancer causes, risk factors, prevention and treatment. People in remote areas and those accessible to good medical services are eligible to education but those in rural and pleces without good medical centers get cancer education when they already have cancer which is of no help to them, this proved true by a research conducted at ocean road cancer institute (ORCI) to access cancer awareness with a sample number of 200 patients, about 80% of patients were unware about cancer.
Cancer education is very important to people who do not have cancer so that they can make sure to follow advised ways to resuce risks of getting cancer and if they get, they can get treatment early.
Government and non government organization should put high priority in providing cancer education in whole country and introduce free cancer diagnosis in rural area and pleces where this service is needed. Until nowdays only small fraction of cancer patients get diagnosis and treatment, large number are unaware of they conditions and this is big problem in our country.
With Cervical cancer and anal cancer case study.
Nowdays there are many local and improper reproductive education in social Media which has lead to many cancers cases because as long as any advice and teaching help them to get reproductive benefit they take it without considering any harm that can be brought by that advice. And without proper knowledge about things which can lead to cancer many had become victims.
Also as among of cancer risk factors having many sexual partners oral sex and anal sex make people more prone to cervical cancer, anal cancer and oesophageal cancer but in our communities many people practice these things and they are unaware that they can get cancer by doing this.
We have tried to our level best to educate people about cancer but because of lack of funds we only provide to patients relatives at ocean road cancer institute. This is not enough because majority of people from interior parts of never get opportunity to reach to our center, so they unclear about cancer education although they are victims of this calamity.
For instance in 1913 American people established American Cancer society with it main roles as to make cancer issues as national priority by helping and supporting people with cancer and educating the society about cancer and they have made a great success in fighting against cancer. Also in our country if this problem was to be taken as national priority we can make a great work in fighting against cancer and only we can if we are United.
To conclude people need this education and people to deliver that education are ready to do that task, I'm among of them. I ask government and non government organizations to aid us so that we can give society what we have and save or make them aware of cancer. We can fight, prevent and cure cancer only if people have clear education about cancer and it's treatment.
References.
1.Tanzania cancer country profile of 2020.
2. Americans cancer society article of
3. WHO report of September,2021.
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