Although only a film about the cure for cancer, 'The Medicine Man' did bring home the need for more research into cancer; cancer has killed untold millions, but each year the cure for this disease gets another step closer. The cure will come eventually and the world will rejoice that this awful disease that can strike anyone at any time has been silenced. The causes for cancer seem to be many but despite all the knowledge we gain, it is still almost impossible to know if or when a person will contract it.

First off it is a good idea to understand exactly what cancer is and try to ascertain whether it is hereditary or something you can acquire. This is a disease where unhealthy cells grow, divide and then expand into other cells, often transferring to parts of the body using a method 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. Whilst it is not generally a young person's disease, it can occur at any age; Statistics show that the number of people cancer kills globally each year is about 13 in every one hundred.

Nearly all cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells; these abnormalities may be caused by other poisons within the body from smoking, radiation, chemicals or other infectious agents.

Although genetic abnormalities may be caused by it they may also be randomly acquired through problems in the body's DNA replication; a genetic trait may be inherited and thus present in all cells from birth. It is still not fully understood why one person will contract the disease and another be free from it but it is believed that the interactions between any carcinogens and each person's particular DNA is complicated.

It is regularly studied throughout the world cancer is,thus extending our knowledge on the subject. More information is being gathered about all illnesses and why some people are more prone to certain conditions. We all want to know more about the causes of cancer what we can do to help prevent this illness from striking and find a cure if it does.

There is a saying You Are What You Eat and this is now being looked at more closely as food may have a direct effect on the incidence of the disease in certain groups. There are certain foods that are considered risky such as excess salt in the diet, too much saturated fat and overindulgence in dairy foods. In particular, excess calcium is believed to have a direct effect on the incidence of prostrate cancer amongst men around the world.

Cancer does not have any prejudice when it comes to invading a person's body as it can strike anywhere. This is an insidious disease that can take a long time to surface but fortunately the number of forms that can be treated is increasing all the time.

For those people diagnosed with cancer, my heart goes out to them and their families; however, the constant research is paying off and the life expectancy of cancer victims is increasing all the time.