Cancer Is Not Always The Death Sentence It Once Was

Probably one of the most unusual roles for Sean Connery was his portrayal of a scientist looking into a way to eradicate cancer; whilst it still continues to kill people, it is not always the death sentence it once was. Think about that for a moment; can you even imagine the impact this would have on our world if the suffering of so many people could be put to an end? The problem is we don't fully understand the causes of cancer although there are many things in our life that can trigger it.

Even now many people do not really understand what cancer is despite growing up with it all around them. Could it be true that we are all born with it? Well, it is a disease that's characterized by a large number of cells that continue to grow and divide; they invade and destroy adjacent tissues and may even spread to other anatomical sites through a process called metastasis.

The malignant property of cancer differentiates it from benign tumors which limit their growth and do not invade or metastasize; some benign tumors, however, are capable of becoming malignant. The risk of contracting this condition increases with age even though it can also affect the young; cancer is responsible for around 130,000 deaths for every one million people each year. Most cancers are caused by some form of poison in the cells which creates abnormalities in the genetic makeup of those cells; cigarette smoke is a predisposing factor to a number of cancers.