Cancer. When I talk about cancer then I don´t mean the zodiac sign, I mean the illness cancer.
 Cancer that affects nearly every family, cancer that destroys life and the kind of cancer that´s invincible.
You may ask yourself now what do I actually know about it but it´s much more than people maybe would expect.
 I may be young but it isn´t the age that has something to do with cancer, your social rank or any other facts.
Cancer knows no age, it doesn´t care about the people who gets it and there´s nobody and I mean nobody who can say, I won´t ever get it. Newborns can have it just as our grandparents, it doesn´t matter if you´re rich or what kind of work you do, if you go to kindergarten or school.
We should be keenly aware that cancer is ubiquitous, you wake up and it changed your whole life.
It´s not only about the people who´ve it, it´s about their families, friends and people who love them as well.
We can´t withhold the truth about and we shouldn´t close our eyes in front of it.
I´m here to tell my story even I´ve a personal one to tell, a story that´s affected by cancer as well and takes a huge part of my life but I´m here to say that you can´t ignore it and support it, in every single way you can, praying to god is the least thing you can do.
God bless you
A.

 

It's World Cancer Day!
Don't close your eyes in front of it, keep fighting on and support!

We all have fears, fears that reach deep, fears that reachs to the deepest of our souls, fears that´ll take everything of our soul.
It´s not just like being afraid, fears go deeper, fears can´t be handled the same way like anything else. Fears depends on deeper thoughts.
Fear is something you can´t define because fear is something that depends on us, something which we´re scared of more than anything else.
There aren´t a lot of fears, there´s one and this one fear sometimes dominate our life in a way that nobody wishes for.
It´s not like being afraid of an animal, or you´re afraid an exam or your first job interview or anything like that. These things you can get under control but to get your deepest fear under control may take a lifetime.
There are causes for such a fear, causes which go back to a long time ago in your life and steady build up inside of you without you know about it at first.
Sometimes your dreams signify your fear but unfortunately we can´t always remember what we´ve dreamed.
Don´t let your deepest fear control your life.
Be stronger than that and take care.

Ziel/Ausgangspunkt:

~Herstellung reprogrammierter Hautzellen (iPS-Zellen), die sich als Stammzellen in alle Zelltypen des Körpers   umwandeln können

·         Regeneration von erkrankten Gewebe einsetzen

·         Vergleich zeigte große Ähnlichkeit mit Krebszellen, die aus denselben Hautzellen erzeugt worden waren

Neues Ziel:

~Stammzellentherapie sicherer zu machen

~besseres Verständnis für den Prozess der Krebsentstehung liefern

~effektivere Möglichkeiten die Krankheit zu bekämpfen
       *Krebszellen genau wie iPS-Zellen haben die Fähigkeit sich unbegrenzt zu vermehren
       *Tierversuchen ist bekannt, dass sich aus transplantierten Stammzellen Tumoren, Teratome (Keimzelltumore, die   sich aus Stammzellen entwickeln) entwickeln können

~um genetische Eigenschaften genauer vergleichen zu können, erzeugten die Forscher beide Zelltypen (Krebs-und iPS-Zellen) mit ähnlichen Methoden aus den selben Bindegewebszellen von Mäusen

~Verfahren bestand darin, mithilfe von Viren bestimmte Gene in die Ausgangszellen zu übertragen

· schließlich verglichen sie die Genaktivitäten der produzierten Stamm- und Krebszellen mit denen der ursprünglichen Bindegewebszellen und konnten eine große Ähnlichkeit feststellen

Schlussfolgerung:
Risiko eines Tumorwachstums kann verringert werden, indem nicht die iPS-Zellen selbst, sondern nur daraus gezüchtete Muskel-,Nerven- oder andere Zellen transplantiert werden

Aber: Risiko für Entwicklung von Tumoren durch geringste Mengen verbliebener Stammzellen bleibt

In weiteren Experimenten gelang es zuvor erzeugte Krebszellen in iPS-Zellen umzuwandeln.

·Möglichkeit Krebszellen zu normalen Stammzellen umzuprogrammieren
          ~neue Möglichkeit zur KREBSTHERAPIE

 

The political 'war' on cancer began with the National Cancer Act of 1971, a United States federal law. The act was intended "to amend the Public Health Service Act so as to strengthen the National Cancer Institute in order to more effectively carry out the national effort against cancer". It was signed into law by then U.S. President Richard Nixon on December 23, 1971.

In 1973, cancer research led to a cold war incident, where co-operative samples of reported oncoviruses were discovered to be contaminated by HeLa.

In 1984, Harald zur Hausen discovered first HPV16 and then HPV18 responsible for approximately 70% of cervical cancers. For discovery that human papillomaviruses (HPV) cause human cancer, zur Hausen won a 2008 Nobel Prize.

Since 1971 the United States has invested over $200 billion on cancer research; that total includes money invested by public and private sectors and foundations.

Despite this substantial investment, the country has seen a five percent decrease in the cancer death rate (adjusting for size and age of the population) between 1950 and 2005. Longer life expectancy may be a contributing factor to this, as cancer rates and mortality rates increases significantly with age, more than three out of five cancers are diagnosed in people aged 65 and over.

Key facts
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 7.6 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2008 (1).
Lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer cause the most cancer deaths each year.
The most frequent types of cancer differ between men and women.
About 30% of cancer deaths are due to the five leading behavioral and dietary risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, alcohol use.
Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for cancer causing 22% of global cancer deaths and 71% of global lung cancer deaths.
Cancer causing viral infections such as HBV/HCV and HPV are responsible for up to 20% of cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries.
About 70% of all cancer deaths in 2008 occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 13.1 million deaths in 2030 (2).
Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs. This process is referred to as metastasis. Metastases are the major cause of death from cancer.

The problem
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for 7.6 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2008. The main types of cancer are:

lung (1.37 million deaths)
stomach (736 000 deaths)
liver (695 000 deaths)
colorectal (608 000 deaths)
breast (458 000 deaths)
cervical cancer (275 000 deaths) (3).
About 70% of all cancer deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue to rise to over 13.1 million in 2030.

What causes cancer?
Cancer arises from one single cell. The transformation from a normal cell into a tumour cell is a multistage process, typically a progression from a pre-cancerous lesion to malignant tumours. These changes are the result of the interaction between a person's genetic factors and three categories of external agents, including:

physical carcinogens, such as ultraviolet and ionizing radiation;
chemical carcinogens, such as asbestos, components of tobacco smoke, aflatoxin (a food contaminant) and arsenic (a drinking water contaminant); and
biological carcinogens, such as infections from certain viruses, bacteria or parasites.
WHO, through its cancer research agency, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), maintains a classification of cancer causing agents.

Ageing is another fundamental factor for the development of cancer. The incidence of cancer rises dramatically with age, most likely due to a build up of risks for specific cancers that increase with age. The overall risk accumulation is combined with the tendency for cellular repair mechanisms to be less effective as a person grows older.

Risk factors for cancers
Tobacco use, alcohol use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity are the main cancer risk factors worldwide. Chronic infections from hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and some types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) are leading risk factors for cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Cervical cancer, which is caused by HPV, is a leading cause of cancer death among women in low-income countries.

How can the burden of cancer be reduced?
Knowledge about the causes of cancer, and interventions to prevent and manage the disease is extensive. Cancer can be reduced and controlled by implementing evidence-based strategies for cancer prevention, early detection of cancer and management of patients with cancer. Many cancers have a high chance of cure if detected early and treated adequately.

Modifying and avoiding risk factors
More than 30% of cancer deaths could be prevented by modifying or avoiding key risk factors, including:

tobacco use
being overweight or obese
unhealthy diet with low fruit and vegetable intake
lack of physical activity
alcohol use
sexually transmitted HPV-infection
urban air pollution
indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels.
Tobacco use is the single most important risk factor for cancer causing 22% of global cancer deaths and 71% of global lung cancer deaths. In many low-income countries, up to 20% of cancer deaths are due to infection by HBV and HPV.

Prevention strategies
Increase avoidance of the risk factors listed above.
Vaccinate against human papilloma virus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV).
Control occupational hazards.
Reduce exposure to sunlight.
Early detection
Cancer mortality can be reduced if cases are detected and treated early. There are two components of early detection efforts:

Early diagnosis
The awareness of early signs and symptoms (for cancer types such as cervical, breast colorectal and oral) in order to get them diagnosed and treated early before the disease becomes advanced. Early diagnosis programmes are particularly relevant in low-resource settings where the majority of patients are diagnosed in very late stages and where there is no screening.

Screening
Screening is defined as the systematic application of a test in an asymptomatic population. It aims to identify individuals with abnormalities suggestive of a specific cancer or pre-cancer and refer them promptly for diagnosis and treatment. Screening programmes are especially effective for frequent cancer types for which a cost-effective, affordable, acceptable and accessible screening test is available to the majority of the population at risk.

Examples of screening methods are:

visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for cervical cancer in low-resource settings;
PAP test for cervical cancer in middle- and high-income settings;
mammography screening for breast cancer in high-income settings.
Treatment
Cancer treatment requires a careful selection of one or more intervention, such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The goal is to cure the disease or considerably prolong life while improving the patient's quality of life. Cancer diagnosis and treatment is complemented by psychological support.

Treatment of early detectable cancers
Some of the most common cancer types, such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, oral cancer and colorectal cancer have higher cure rates when detected early and treated according to best practices.

Treatment of other cancers with potential for cure
Some cancer types, even though disseminated, such as leukemias and lymphomas in children, and testicular seminoma, have high cure rates if appropriate treatment is provided.

Palliative care
Palliative care is treatment to relieve, rather than cure, symptoms caused by cancer. Palliative care can help people live more comfortably; it is an urgent humanitarian need for people worldwide with cancer and other chronic fatal diseases. It is particularly needed in places with a high proportion of patients in advanced stages where there is little chance of cure.

Relief from physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems can be achieved in over 90% of advanced cancer patients through palliative care.

Palliative care strategies
Effective public health strategies, comprising of community- and home-based care are essential to provide pain relief and palliative care for patients and their families in low-resource settings.

Improved access to oral morphine is mandatory for the treatment of moderate to severe cancer pain, suffered by over 80% of cancer patients in terminal phase.

WHO response
In 2008, WHO launched its Noncommunicable Diseases Action Plan which includes cancer-specific interventions.

WHO and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer research agency of WHO, collaborate with other United Nations organizations and partners to:

increase political commitment for cancer prevention and control;
coordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer and the mechanisms of carcinogenesis;
develop scientific strategies for cancer prevention and control;
generate new knowledge, and disseminate existing knowledge to facilitate the delivery of evidence-based approaches to cancer control;
develop standards and tools to guide the planning and implementation of interventions for prevention, early detection, treatment and care;
facilitate broad networks of cancer control partners and experts at global, regional and national levels;
strengthen health systems at national and local levels to deliver cure and care for cancer patients; and
provide technical assistance for rapid, effective transfer of best practice interventions to developing countries.

I know I haven't posted anything much lately but hey it's Christmas time and shouldn't we spend this time with our loved ones? Shouldn't our personal happiness and emotional health matters more than any kind of present. I'm sure that there are a lot of presents that makes us happy but that's only for the moment it's nothing that lasts and what could be more precious than the time we can spend with our family. Family is something nobody can takes us, family means blood and blood counts more than any present in this world. We don't have to be rich and we don't need to have the most expensive stuff. We're rich by the things we were given: our family, their love for us and the everlasting knowledge that what ever happens, what ever we do they'll stand behind us. Not everything can be good always and the life wouldn't be a life without any conflicts but Christmas is the time to come back together to forget everything that happened in the past. God bless you & a happy new year!