Once feared as an automatic death sentence, survival rates are up and innovative therapies offer new hope.
Most of us lived through an era when cancer was spoken about in hushed tones or referred to in euphemisms like "the big C." This was understandable in a period when a diagnosis of cancer often meant that a person was living on borrowed time.
Thankfully, the times have changed. Earlier detection, improved therapies and a better understanding of what cancer is mean that we can now talk about cancer with a good deal of optimism.
Most of us think of cancer as a single disease. However, there are over a hundred variations in this family of diseases. And within each category, there are variations of behaviour based on whether they are in earlier stages or later stages of development. Some cancers are extremely rare, but the American Cancer Society provides information on 66 of the most common cancers alone, ranging from aplastic anemia to Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia.
Since these cancers specialize in different areas of the body and have very different effects, what is the common theme? Normal cells grow, divide and die off as part of their normal life cycle. Cancerous (malignant) cells grow abnormally – they don’t die off, but grow in an uncontrolled fashion that overwhelms and destroys normal body tissues in the area. The disease may travel to other parts of the body (metastasize), however, if for example breast cancer spreads to the liver, it is still described as breast cancer and not liver cancer.
Cancers also have a common origin. All cells in the body contain DNA – genetic information that governs how they live, what they do and what information they pass onto their "children." Cancerous cells have damaged DNA – genetic information that governs their anti-social behavior.
A common origin does not necessarily mean a common cause. Damage to a cell’s DNA can be due to a number of factors. We can inherit this from our parents. It is estimated that 25 per cent of cancers owe their existence to a shared family trait. For those of us who have had relatives diagnosed with cancer, this may not seem cause for hope. However, early detection is vital to successful treatment.
Being armed with the information that there is a family risk factor means that earlier detection is more likely. This is no small thing. The American Cancer Society (ACS) researched testing and detection rates on cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, testis, oral cavity and skin. The society says,  "[By using] early detection testing according to ACS recommendations, the five-year relative survival rate for people with these cancers would increase to about 95 per cent."
What about the other 75 per cent of cancers that are not inherited? These cancers are due to environmental factors. In other words, the things we are exposed to (or do to ourselves) can help create the DNA damage that leads to cancer. Environmental factors include:

?    Radiation – x-rays and intense sunlight
?    Chemicals – asbestos, benzene, nickel
?    Tobacco – first- and second-hand smoke
?    Nutrition – high fat, trans fatty acids
?    Exercise - obesity, hormones
?    Immunity – bacterial, viral Infections

Most of these will come as no surprise. However, the role of the immune system in battling cancer is an topic of intense study and considerable hope. The human body already has a formidable defense and repair system when it comes to cancer. Helpful Immune cells include Natural Killer (NK) cells, other T lymphocytes, macrophages, antigen-presenting cells and substances produced by immune cells called lymphokines.
The bottom line is that a healthy immune system is enormously helpful – so much so that the traditional three modes of cancer treatment (surgery, radiation and drug/chemotherapy) are expanding to include a fourth: immunotherapy. This therapy works by encouraging the patient’s own system to work harder or by introducing synthetic immune-system proteins to help do the job.
An optimistic and hopeful outlook is also known to positively affect the immune system. Since people diagnosed with cancer now face better detection, better treatment and better outcomes – that indeed is a cause for hope.