| Q. |
What does ‘Prognosis’ mean and is it different from ‘Diagnosis’? |
| A. |
Prognosis is the outlook or predicted outcome of the disease.
The outcome of a cancer depends on several factors:
The type of cancer, the tumour size, the degree of local invasion, the amount of spread to other parts of the body, general condition before and during treatment, age, whether or not the person has had cancer before and other underlying disease.
Diagnosis on the other hand is the identification or name given to the person’s cancer. Many factors are also taken into account before a diagnosis is made including previous medical history, symptoms, findings from physical examination, blood tests, other laboratory tests, x-rays, scans and biopsies.
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| Q. |
Do vitamins change my cancer risk? |
| A. |
Scientists have found some relationship between a lack of certain vitamins and cancer. For example, diets low in vitamin A have been linked to cancers of the prostate gland, cervix, skin, bladder and colon.
On the other hand, some studies suggest that vitamin A and C may help protect the body from some types of cancer. You can get all the vitamins A and C if you eat 2 helpings daily of fruits and vegetables that are in a balanced diet such as dark green leafy vegetables, yellow-orange vegetables and yellow-orange fruits. |
| Q. |
Are there different kinds of cancer causing agents? |
| A. |
Yes. Scientists believe most cancers are caused in 2 steps by 2 kinds of agents: Initiators and Promoters.
Initiators start the damage to a cell that can lead to cancer. For example, cigarette smoking has been shown to be an initiator.
Promoters usually do not cause cancer by themselves. They change cells already damaged by an initiator. For example, studies have shown that alcohol promotes the development of cancers in the mouth, throat and liver when combined with an initiator, such as tobacco.
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