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Why is cancer
important ?
Cancer is a disease that influences
millions of people world wide and has an impact
both, financially and personally to nations,
families and individuals.
Sometimes we ask why?
The causes of
cancer are numerous and sometimes there is more
than one factor that triggers it.These factors
include environmental (external pollutions) and
genetic factors. In some cases cancer may be
prevented by improving the diet by including more
vegetables and a healthier lifestyle.
Did you
know...
Some cancers are
the result of specific chemicals
or pollutants. For example
asbestos is a major cause of a
specific cancer called
mesothelioma. |
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"The Australian Cancer Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ian Olver, said that in around five per cent of the 88,000 cancers diagnosed each year in Australia, an inherited faulty gene is a major contributing factor. Such cancers are commonly referred to as family or familial cancers "
Source: Cancer council
Australian Bureau of Statistics
quotes a cancer death rate of 168 per 100,000
during 1998
ABS source
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Cancer issues are very frequently
reported in the news. Here are some of the best
sources of the latest news about cancer. 
The word 'Cancer'
comes from a description that the first Ancient
Greek Doctor ,Hippocrates, used to describe a
common condition he called carcinoma, which
happened to look a little like a crab because of
'finger-like projections'
" The Edwin Smith
Papyrus, or writing, describes eight cases of
tumors or ulcers of the breast that were treated by
cauterization, with a tool called "the fire drill."
The writing says about the disease, "There is no
treatment." 
The future of cancer is about
discovering the answers to the questions we have
about cancer. It is about finding out how the
disease occurs and how we might treat it.