The latest cancer facts tell us more than ever about the disease.Each year since 1999, we’ve achieved an increasing drop in cancer-related deaths, a reassuring trend that’s positioned to carry on as scientists discover more and more about what causes cancer and consequently are in a position to identify new and better treatment options. Nonetheless, cancer continues to be one of the foremost causes of death in the US, second only to heart disease – making it important to continue to push ahead with determination to locate a cure.
Here are the top cancer facts we’ve learned to date, from home care Hollywood experts:
- Diet is important. While a diet full of antioxidants can help prevent cell damage (and protect against cancer), a recently available study showed that in some instances, cancers make use of a nutrient-rich diet, leading to accelerated metastasis. Due to this, the advice is to refrain from using antioxidant supplements unless a doctor prescribes them. Get your antioxidants from fruits, veggies, and beans instead, since the additional molecules in whole food are important. On top of that, a link is suspected between sugary drinks (soda, artificially sweetened drinks, as well as 100% fruit juice) and a heightened likelihood of cancer.
- Cancer may develop before birth. In particular, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is believed to stem from a mutation that evolves in utero, triggered when infection is first introduced. The recommendation is to make sure children are introduced to germs in the first year of life, to teach the immune system to deal with pathogens and prevent the secondary mutation that produces leukemia.
- The focus is shifting towards immunotherapy. People who’ve experienced the ravages of chemotherapy’s side effects will be relieved at the newest treatment advances, which center on immunotherapy that enables the targeting of just the cancer cells themselves. A clinical trial of a “cancer vaccine,” in combination with a light dose of radiation, has already shown promising results.
- The economic impact can be overwhelming. A substantial study of 9.5 million cancer patients identified a typical financial loss of over $92,000, with 42% of these patients required to exhaust their life savings to fund the price of just the first couple of years of treatment. Authors of this research study share, “As large financial burdens have been found to adversely affect access to care and outcomes, the active development of approaches to mitigate these effects among already vulnerable groups remains of key importance.”
If you or someone you love is facing the difficulties of cancer, we can help. Our reliable in-home care team can cook healthy meals, pick up prescriptions, provide accompaniment to scheduled appointments, and give the emotional encouragement essential to focus on healing. Give us a call at (213) 383-2273 for more information on the home care Hollywood families trust, and to see if our services are available in your area.