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DOCTOR’S CHRONICLES
Lets talk about
Cancer
By Dr. Eric Njuguna
We were all shocked when The Star newspaper, March BNMSQNK
3GDQDG@RSNAD@ANTSG@KE@CNYDMCH? DQDMSLTS@SHNMR
19, 2018, revealed that nine MPs and four Senators before a normal cell turns into a cancer cell. Developing a
are among thousands of Kenyans being treated for tumour does not necessarily mean that it is cancerous. It can be
cancer in Indian hospitals. This was revealed after Juja benign, non cancerous or malignant, cancerous.
MP Francis Munyua Waititu, aka Wakapee, arrived back
in the country after successful treatment for brain
cancer.
The article pointed out that according to the Ministry "@MBDQB@MADFQNTODC@BBNQCHMFSNSGDSXODRNEBDKKRSGDX
of Health, approximately 10,000 Kenyans travel start in;
abroad every year in search of treatment and end up
spending at least Sh10 billion in the same period. Leukaemia. This is the type of cancer that starts in blood
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics goes further to forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes
state that about 40,000 Kenyans are diagnosed with abnormal blood cells to be produced and go into the
B@MBDQ@MMT@KKX@MCSGDCHRD@RDJHKKR@ANTS blood
people every year. Lymphoma and myeloma – They begin in the cells of the
immune system
October is known as Cancer awareness month. Brain and spinal cord cancers – these are known as central
nervous system cancers
6RVKDOOZHWDONDERXWWKLVGLVHDVH" Carcinoma – This type begins in the skin or in tissues that
line or cover internal organs.
In a nutshell, Cancer aalso referred to as malignancy, is Sarcoma – cancer that begins in the connective or
an abnormal growth of cells. Although there are about supportive tissues such as bone, cartilage, fat, muscle or
ten types of cancer known, in reality, there are more blood vessels
than 200 types of cancer, amongst them lung cancer,
skin cancer, breast cancer, skin, prostate cancer and +RZWRPLQLPLVH&DQFHUULVNV
lymphoma. The symptoms of each vary depending
on the type while the treatment may include There are certain things that can be done to reduce your Cancer
chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. risk. What might you be doing to increase your risk? Smoking
and tobacco use, obesity and poor diet, lack of exercise, salt,
+RZGRHV&DQFHUVWDUW" food additives, contaminants, carcinogens in the workplace,
viruses ie hepatitis, family history of cancer, women’s
Let’s revisit your Biology class. reproductive factors (late or no childbearing), environmental
Our bodies are usually made up of more than a trillion pollution, excessive alcohol consumption, excessive exposure
cells. Cancer starts with changes in one cell or a small to sun amongst others.
group of cells. Sometimes a change happens in the
genes when a cell divides. This is a mutation. It means Amongst many other activities you’ll engage in this last quarter
that a gene has been damaged or lost or copied of the year, make it a point to get tested for Cancer.
twice. Mutations can happen by chance when a cell is
dividing. Some mutations mean that the cell no longer
understands its instructions and starts to grow out of
48| SACCO Star Magazine
