Cancer: Early Diagnosis Plays A Vital Role; Here's Everything You Must Know

How important is cancer awareness?

Cancer awareness has grown significantly in the 21st century. Despite advances in cancer awareness, diagnosis, and treatment—aspects that ought to contribute to the disease's diminution—the number of new cases reported each year has remained on the rise globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that up to 40% of cancer-related deaths can be prevented. As a result, increasing cancer prevention awareness has been elevated to the top priority by many cancer and health organisations globally.

Cancer is a widespread disease in developing and developed nations, yet public awareness is still lacking. The lack of awareness may result in a poor response to screening methods and late diagnosis. A delay in seeking assistance for cancer-like symptoms is one factor that has repeatedly been linked to late detection and treatment. Thus, it is crucial to get cancer detected in the earliest stage possible. When cancer is detected early, there are increased chances of successful treatment and an improved lifestyle. Hence, people must be educated about cancer and have positive attitudes toward screening methods.

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Impact Due to Lack of Cancer Awareness

Patients with cancer usually have a worse prognosis in low- and middle-income nations than in high-income ones due to a lack of awareness, a late diagnosis, and unequal access to cheap curative services. The late reporting of cancer patients to the healthcare facility results from ignorance, due to which the majority of cancer patients seek medical attention for the first time at advanced stages. Thus, raising awareness of cancer among people has been emphasised as a way to ensure behaviour that supports early diagnosis. In addition, the lack of awareness and other reasons that frequently go hand in hand with illiteracy, financial restrictions, beliefs, and superstitions can also be blamed for the delay in receiving health care.

When cancer is detected in its early stages, there are increased chances of successful treatment and improved quality of life. Therefore, knowledge, early diagnosis, and cancer screening are some methods that allow for the timely diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Here's a look at the methods that detect cancer:

Screening

To prevent cancer, screening is a crucial preventive measure. It is the presumed detection of undiagnosed disease in individuals who appear healthy and asymptomatic using tests, examinations, or other processes that may be quickly and effortlessly given to the target population. The entire screening process must be included in a screening program, from inviting the target group to providing access to adequate care for those identified with the disease. Cancer awareness and screening attitudes are predicted to alter due to India's rising cancer incidences. Thus, having knowledge about cancer and the screening measures will aid in an earlier diagnosis, more effective treatment, and better results.

Early Diagnosis

Early cancer diagnosis aims to identify symptomatic individuals as soon as possible to give them the best possibility of a successful course of treatment. Cancer therapy that is postponed or inaccessible has adverse effects on patients' chances of survival, as well as more treatment-related problems and higher healthcare costs. Thus, by receiving care at the earliest possible stage, early diagnosis improves cancer outcomes, making it a crucial public health approach. It is always beneficial as it provides people with more alternatives for controlling their disease. Thus, when it comes to a condition like cancer, early detection is essential as it can get worse if proper care is not provided.

Education Awareness

Early disease detection is made possible by education. Identifying worrisome and warning symptoms and timely responding to them facilitates it. On the overall rate of disease detection, increased public awareness and caregiver awareness can have a significant impact. Moreover, newly developed lumps, sores that do not heal, chronic indigestion, unusual bleeding, and hoarseness of voice are a few early indications of cancer. In addition, early diagnosis is vital for cancers of the cervix, breast, mouth, throat, colon, rectum, and skin.

All Things Considered!

Cancer is a global disease and is growing rapidly, and healthcare systems are dealing with various challenges to tackle it, and there is a lack of awareness among people. Cancer is one of those diseases that does not show obvious signs and symptoms and can thus remain undetected inside the body. The likelihood of successful treatment and long survival significantly increases with early identification. Thus, early diagnosis, screening, and educating people to allow for better treatment, resulting in less emotional, financial, and physical pain. In addition to having a higher chance of survival, cancer patients who receive an early diagnosis also tend to report more positive experiences with care, less impact from their treatments, and higher quality of life.

(Content By: Dr. Kanury Rao, Co-founder, and CSO, PredOmix)

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