Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Professor Sibson
English 231C
30 March 2017
Research Proposal
Cancer is among the leading cause of death globally. In 2012 alone, there were 14 million
new cases of cancer and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths worldwide (Cancer Statistics).
Several factors contribute to developing cancer, and researchers are in fact starting to call cancer
a man-made disease through pollution and changes to our diet and lifestyle (Heyes). The
incidences of cancer will only rise with time unless individuals are presented information on how
In an article by Heyes (2016), researchers recently examined remains and literature from
ancient Greece and Egypt and discovered the first historical diagnosis of cancer. The researchers
noted that they only found one incident of cancer while examining hundreds of Egyptian
mummies, meaning that cancer was a very unfamiliar and sparse disease in previous times.
Theys also discovered that the rate of cancer increased tremendously after the Industrial
Revolution, especially in children. This indicates that the rise in cancer is not correlated with
Harris et al. (2004) suggests interventions provided by The Cancer Prevention and
Control Research Network have been proven to reduce the burden and difficulty of cancer,
primarily amidst minorities. The Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network focuses on
developing new interventions and disseminating and translating proven interventions into
practice to reduce cancer burden and disparities (Harris, p.1). The interventions provided
include an increase in physical activity, tobacco control, eating healthy, sun avoidance, and early
screening for timely cancer detection. The authors indicate that the burden of cancer in the
United States remains high, and the incidences of cancer and mortalities continue at a steady
rate. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States as well as a leading cause
of morbidity. Cancer accounts for one of every four deaths (Harris et al., 2004, p.8). This rate is
extremely alarming and individuals need to be informed that these rates can be lowered with
Studies show that secondary and tertiary interventions are not working well to overt the
clinical problems associated with cancer and other chronic diseases, and we must approach this
epidemic through primary prevention measures. This requires addressing the roots of these
As you can see, just by being physically inactive the possibility of incurring cancer or
another chronic disease greatly increases with time. To encourage activity and lead healthier
lifestyles, individuals would be able to avoid the trauma and burden caused by chronic diseases
and in the long run create an investment for future health care in the new millennium by avoiding
decades, obesity has increased significantly with more than 1/3 of adults categorized as obese as
well as 17% of children. As many as 84,000 cancer diagnoses each year are attributed to
obesity, and overweight and obesity are implicated in 15% to 20% of total cancer-related
Recent data show that women with breast cancer who were also obese showed a great
increase in mortality opposed to women that were normal weight at diagnosis. On top of that,
obese men have an increased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. Emerging data
suggest that obesity plays a role in other cancers as well. Public awareness of how obesity can
lead to cancer is very limited and we must take action to make this universal knowledge in hopes
to avoid more incidences and casualties of cancer. Obesity is a complex societal problem, and it
will take significant time and effort on the part of many organizations to reduce the incidence of
overweight and obesity among ourselves, our patients, their family members, and the general
A substantial amount of cancers can be prevented through creating a healthier lifestyle for
oneself. By not smoking, eating healthier foods, and maintaining an active lifestyle, the chances
of being diagnosed with cancer greatly decreases. Many cancers can be averted through lifestyle
changes that are possible. It is important that these habits become common knowledge in hopes
obtaining many cancers such as breast, colorectal, prostate, lung, and other sites. Such diet would
also be beneficial to recovery of cancer as well, says Donaldson. It has been estimated by the
American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund that 30-40 percent
of all cancers can be prevented by appropriate diets, physical, activity, and maintenance of
Overeating is one of the main risk factors for cancer. Obesity is an epidemic in the United
States with 64% of the adult population overweight or obese. Mokdad et al. found that poor diet
and physical inactivity was the second leading cause of death (400,000 per year in the USA), and
would likely overtake tobacco as the leading cause of death (Donaldson, 2004). Authors have
estimates that over 90,000 deaths a year caused by cancer can be prevented if the adult
The noticeable increase of cancer from the Egyptian age to now allows us to realize that
it is evident that cancer is a growing epidemic that may be attributable to peoples health choices
and lifestyle changes. This study will examine the relationship between cancer and modern
society by interviewing 10-15 people. The participants will be asked to rate questions 1-5 on