Do I Have Cancer?

DO I HAVE CANCER? Signs, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Over 50 Common Cancers I have a headache and feel sick—do I have a brain tumor? How do I know whether my mole is melanoma? My testes feel lumpy—is it cancer? What is mesothelioma? My breasts are sore—is this a sign of cancer? I coughed out blood—is it lung cancer? Can I catch cancer? Can I have sex when I have cancer or am receiving treatment for it? Is cancer sexually transmitted? How is cancer diagnosed? What cancers can children develop? Whom can I talk to? Can I avoid getting cancer? These questions are asked by many people on a daily basis. They are universal concerns, and the first thing most people do these days is consult ‘Dr Google’. They search and search, but does this offer answers? How many websites do they visit? If encountering a website sounding medical, can they understand the medical jargon and terminology, or do they end up reading more about ‘Omni cure pills’, Viagra or how to lose 20 kg in seven days, instead of getting information on cancer? Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Cancer can affect anyone—the young and old, men and women, the wealthy and the poor—yet more than 30% of cancers can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Other cancers, such as breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, can be cured if detected early and treated adequately. However, most people struggle to find correct information about cancer. The internet is overloaded with information, but it is difficult to know what is correct. In addition, it is very time consuming. Most cancer websites promote eye-catching advertisements to promote their products, rather than providing relevant information on cancer. In addition, many people do not have a dedicated internet connection to retrieve information on cancer, and not many books provide holistic and current information on cancer. So, how can people receive the right information on cancer when needed? This book, DO I HAVE CANCER? provides correct and relevant information about cancer. It describes the signs, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of over 50 common cancers in a simple and easily understood language. It also addresses issues such as cancer and sexuality, psychological issues among cancer patients, complementary and palliative care, lifestyle changes, the early detection and screening of cancer, cancer among children, pregnancy and cancer, HIV/AIDS patients and cancer, family cancers and genetic tests, palliative care and euthanasia, special issues among cancer patients, and many other issues important to cancer patients and their carers. This book is written by a distinguished medical practitioner with a special interest in cancer. For over 20 years, the author has extensively researched the needs of cancer patients and their carers, their worries and concerns, and which information and advice they would like to receive about cancer. The author is involved in all aspects of cancer management, including the diagnosis, treatment, follow up and counseling of cancer patients on a daily basis. The information compiled in this book is a combination of the author’s knowledge of and experience with cancer, patients’ and their carers’ feedback on cancer, and other information obtained from highly authoritative online and print resources. Why would anybody buy this book? There are volumes and volumes of information on cancer in the internet. There are thousands of books on cancer. But most people are not able to get holistic information on cancer that covers a wide range of issues on cancer. There is too much information on certain cancers like breast, bowel and prostate cancers but very little or none on other cancers. Besides, more than half of all cancers diagnosed worldwide are in older people aged 50-75 years. About 40% of people above 60 years are either internet illiterate or do not have access to internet. But this group of people are keen to learn more about cancer since almost everybody in this group are at increased risk of getting it. And most people in this group are retirees or pensioners who prefer reading books compared to younger people who prefer internet. Besides the elderly and the middle-aged people, the book is also an excellent resource for anybody seeking information on cancer including cancer patients and carers, students, community workers, people working with cancer organizations and other health care workers. This book ‘DO I HAVE CANCER?' is a ‘one stop shop’ for all information related to cancer. People just need to read this book to appreciate the depth and quality of information contained in this book. Dr N Parajuli (MBBS MIPH MM FRACGP) Medical practitioner, author and blogger