Interesting facts about Cancer

As we all know cancer is not a small disease, it's a very serious disease. So it's very important for you to know  all the facts about cancer. Here are 15 interesting facts about cancer. 

1. Several factors increase the risk of cancer (officially known as malignant neoplasm), including pollutants, tobacco use, certain infections, radiation, obesity, and lack of physical exercise.
2. An estimated 5 to 10% of cancers are entirely hereditary. Most cancers develop through a combination of hereditary and environmental factors.
3. Smoking causes an estimated 90% of lung cancer. Tobacco has killed 50 million people in the last decade. If trends continue, a billion people will die from tobacco use and exposure this century, which equates to one person every six seconds.
4. Those who sleep less than six hours a night are more likely to develop colon cancer than those who sleep more.
5. Cancer has two main characteristics: abnormal cell growth and the ability to spread to other parts of the body (metastasis). 
6. Nitrites are chemical additives used to preserve and add flavoring to most lunch meats, including cold cuts and hot dogs.
   Once in the body, they react with body chemicals and turn into cancer-causing carcinogens. Americans eat more than 20 billion hot dogs per year.
7. In 2008, there were an estimated 12,667,500 new cases of cancer worldwide. Eastern Asia had the most new cases (3,720,000) and Micronesia the fewest (700). North America had approximately 1,603,900 new cases.
8. Cancer is the leading cause of death in developed countries and the second leading cause of death in developing countries, after heart disease. Globally, heart disease is the number one killer.
9. In 2008, 7.6 million people died of cancer globally, which equates to 21,000 cancer deaths a day. By 2030, 21.4 million new cancer cases are expected to occur globally with 13.2 million cancer deaths.
10. Researchers believe that more than half of all cancers and cancer deaths are potentially preventable.
11. Lung, prostate, and stomach cancers are the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men. Breast, cervix, and colorectal cancers are the most commonly diagnosed cancers in women.
12. Cancer is not just one disease; rather it is a set of diseases. Different agents cause each type of cancer.
13. Poor dental hygiene can cause gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums. Over time, high levels of inflammation in the body can increase a person’s risk of developing cancer.
14. Men who have never married are up to 35% more likely to die from cancer than those who are married. In terms of surviving cancer, women also benefited from being married, but to a lesser extent.
15. Scientists claim that the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl produced the largest group of cancers in history from a single incident.