Cancer can be a scary topic to discuss. Part of the reason it’s so scary is because it can be hard to understand. So, let’s take some of the mystery out of it. 

Cancer is a disease that causes cells to divide and proliferate uncontrollably. These abnormal cells inhibit normal body functions and destroy normal, healthy body tissue. The toxic load of cancer cells tax the body and wreak havoc as the dysfunctioning cells grow and mutate rapidly, ignoring signals from the body that normally tell healthy cells to stop growing and submit to apoptosis. All cells in the body are meant to have a programmed death. Apoptosis is simply the body’s method of ensuring that cells don’t get out of control—that they die when they’re supposed to and get properly removed from the body. Cancer results when something goes wrong and certain cells stop respecting this process. 

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is confusing, including understanding the manner in which the cancer is staged. Where 0 signifies no detectable cancer, 4 is considered terminal. Once the stage is determined you are then told how aggressive it is. It can be further categorized by an “A” indicating a less aggressive or earlier stage cancer or a “B” which indicates a more aggressive cancer. In my case, they said I had stage 3B uterine cancer. 

Sometimes, though, cancer has begun to grow independently in more than one primary site in the body. The situation can get even harder to understand if secondary cancers are involved—when cancer has spread from a primary site to another part of the body. For example, uterine cancer could metastasize (spread) to areas in close proximity, such as the bladder or colon. Uterine cancer is also known to spread to the lungs, liver, brain, and bones. In simple terms, if a tumor cell breaks away from the primary site, it can travel through the body’s blood or lymphatic system, become trapped in small capillaries or junctions, and adhere to new cells. For example: If a tumor cell is carried through the body in the blood stream, it could potentially adhere to bone cells. If it makes it all the way to the lungs, it could become mechanically trapped there—like hitting a dead end when driving, and being unable to turn around.

Because receiving a cancer diagnosis is such a shock and so confusing, it’s normal to ask questions like, “Why me?” Or “How could this happen?” Or, “What do I do now?” I asked myself all of these questions.

First, it is vitally important to detox the body continually, in order to provide pathways for the body to dispose of toxins and not reabsorb them. When the body is working to protect itself, bowel movements are the biggest way our body processes and gets rid of toxins. That’s a big part of the reason a doctor will ask about the frequency of your bowel movements. Once the liver cleanses the body, the colon should be eliminating the waste. If you’re body isn’t able to rid the body of waste and toxins, they will be reabsorbed in order to be re-detoxified, contributing to back up in the body. 

The body can also store toxins in fat cells. Adipose fat cells, in particular, become a dump for chemicals and toxins that the body doesn’t know how to process. The adipose tissue will encapsulate and store these toxins, which is definitely not a good thing.

People can have genetic predispositions to certain forms of cancer. There are also environmental factors that can lead to cancer. The number of variables that can potentially contribute to or cause cancer are more vast than the approximately 200 types of cancer a person could have, as outlined by Cancer Research UK.

Now let’s look at some statistics. I share these numbers not to scare you but to give you knowledge meant to empower you. You need to know as much as you can to become your own best advocate.

In 2024, an estimated 2,001,140 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States alone, and more than 611,720 will die from the disease in the aforementioned year. The World Health Organization predicts there will be 35 million new cancer cases by 2050, a 77 percent increase from 2022’s estimated 20 million cases. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Per the website of the World Health Organization (WHO), about one in five people develop cancer in their lifetime.  Approximately one in nine men and one in twelve women die from the disease. Adding to these statistics, one in five cancer survivors will suffer “second cancers,” which the National Cancer Institute indicates is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among survivors. Essentially, the treatment that “saved” someone can create a secondary cancer that later resurfaces and kills them. It’s no wonder that thoughts of recurrence plague cancer survivors. My book, Overcoming Cancer, talks about this phenomena.

The National Cancer Institute (NIH) tracks each diagnosis and the associated statistics for each type of cancer. If you want to look up some numbers or investigate a diagnosis you recently received, you can do so here

While I don’t have all the answers for you, I wrote Overcoming Cancer precisely to provide as many helpful insights and personal experiences as possible for anyone facing a cancer diagnosis. I’ve done my own research about diagnoses and treatment choices available. I invite you to read it and learn more about the insights I gained, what worked for me, and what you may find useful. Don’t just take my word for anything, though! You may need to make different decisions than I did. Make sure you do your own research and proceed accordingly.

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