5 most common cancer site in women

As women, our health is very important, to be able to take care of ourselves better, we need to know and increase our knowledge on health issues. Sunday February 4th was World Cancer day, in that guise, we would be looking at cancer and 5 most common cancer site in women. The first thing we need to know is what exactly is cancer. Cancer is an abnormal cell growth that divide uncontrollably, invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. It can also be referred to as a malignant tumor that can destroy normal body tissues. 

There are more than a 100 type of cancer and they are usually named after the site they occur or start from. The 5 most common cancer sites in women are:

• Breast 
• Cervix 
• Colorectal
• Lung
• Blood cells 

Now let's look at them one after the other. 

Breast 

The breast is the overlying tissue on the chest, it is also known as the mammary gland and it produces milk in lactating mothers. The size of the breast is usually determined by the amount of fat. Breast cancer is one of the conditions that can happen to the breast, every woman is at risk of having breast cancer; report says that 1 in 8 women would have breast cancer in their lifetime. 
When talking about breast cancer early detection is key as the cancerous cell can be promptly removed before it spreads to other sites. One way of checking for breast cancer is self examination, this is very easy to perform; before having your bath, you can stand before a mirror, raise one hand up and use the other hand to feel for lumps in the breast. Make sure to report any abnormality to your doctor. You can also go for breast examination at the hospital. 

Cervix 

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus, it is a cylindrical shaped tissue that connects the vagina and uterus. There are two parts; the ectocervix that can be seen from the vagina during a gynecologic examination. The second is the endocervix which is a tunnel through the cervix to the external OS (opening in the vagina) to the uterus. 
Cervical cancer starts at this site; it can be caused by various strains of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which is a sexually transmitted infection. It affects women in the 19 - 60+ age range and can be prevented by PAP smear screening, HPV vaccine and practicing safe sex. 

Colorectal

The colon is the site for colorectal or colon cancer. The colon is located at the lower end of the digestive tract which is also known as the large intestine; its job in the body is to remove water, salt and some nutrients from food while the remaining product is passed out as stool. When cells in the colon become malignant, it is not able to perform this function, thereby reducing the amount of water, salt and nutrients in the body. Usually,  colon cancer begins as Polyp, a small growth that begins in the lining and grows into the center of the colon. Colon cancer can be prevented through regular colonoscopy. 

Lungs

The lungs are a pair of spongy organ located on either side of the chest. It is the respiratory system's primary organ, it is responsible for taking in oxygen from the atmosphere and releasing carbon dioxide from the blood stream. It also provides the airflow that make vocal sounds like speech possible. Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the whole world, one of the main causes would be lifestyle which include smoking. Smokers have a higher chance of developing lung cancer than non smokers but second hand smoke also increases chances of developing cancer, which means that if you are not a smoker, you should also avoid siting down amidst smokers or placed where you can inhale second hand smoke. 

Blood cells

There are two cells in the blood, the white blood cells and the red blood cells. The white blood cells defends the body against infectious diseases,  while the red blood cells carry oxygen to various part of the body. The red blood cells are formed in the bone marrow of an adult and along with the white blood cells, they have the job of protecting healthy cells in the body. Cancer of the blood or Leukaemia begins in the bone marrow and results in high number of abnormal white blood cells that can not fight off infections. 

It is important that we take care of our health, if you have any health issue, feel free to chat up our medical team, we are always ready to be of help.