The alarming headline ‘Half of UK population “will get cancer in lifetime”’ has made a
press release from Macmillan Cancer Support into a major news story today.
Not surprisingly the charity is using it as an opportunity
to argue that ‘the NHS will not be able to cope with the huge increase in
demand for cancer services’ and that we therefore need more investment in ‘proper after-care’ and in ‘engaging cancer
patients on their own health’.
Many people reading
these reports may be anxious about their own future health but the reality is
that whilst people are more likely to get cancer in the future they are also
less likely to die from it.
In 1992, the proportion of people in the UK
who got cancer during their life was 32%. This increased to 44% in 2010 and is
expected to level off at around 47% between 2020 and 2030.
But this needs to be
balanced against changes in survival prospects. In 1992, 45,000 people, or 21%
of those who had cancer, did not die from the disease. This increased to 35% in
2010 and is expected to rise to 38% in 2020.
So in simple terms
your chances are 50/50 of getting cancer in 2020 but your chance of dying from
it is only six in ten.
Overall the chance
of dying from cancer will remain only slightly higher than it is now – about one
in three.
The growth in the
number of people getting cancer is explained by the fact that people are living
longer, because as the population ages the incidence of cancer rises.
Macmillan puts the
increased survival rates from cancer down to a greater focus on early
diagnosis, advances in cancer treatments and better cancer care.
In the UK, more than
one in three people will develop cancer at some point in their lives. Every
year, around 309,500
people are diagnosed with the disease.
But experts estimate
that more than four in 10 cancer cases could actually be prevented by
lifestyle changes, such as: not
smoking, keeping a healthy body
weight, cutting back on alcohol,
eating a healthy, balanced diet,
keeping active,
avoiding certain infections (like HPV),
staying safe in the sun and
avoiding certain occupational risks (see chemicals
in the workplace).
Cancer, of course,
is not just one disease but over
200 different conditions with a variety of levels of severity and outcome –
and the outlook in any given cancer depends on its type, location and stage.
And if you avoid
cancer then the likelihood is that you will die instead of heart disease,
respiratory disease or stroke.
For Christians there
are several big take home messages.
First is to
appreciate that cancer is very common, so don’t be surprised if it happens to
you or your loved ones. Rather prepare for it.
Second is to
remember that your body is a gift from God and a temple of the Holy Spirit (1
Corinthians 6:19) so treat it with respect. You may, in so doing, lessen your
chance of getting certain cancers.
Third is to accept
that, unless Christ returns first, you are going to die of something so live
your life with that in mind. As a surgeon I was continually surprised to meet
patients who seemed to be under the illusion that it was never going to happen
to them, or at least not yet.
Fourth is to keep it
all in an eternal perspective.
The Bible says that
all people ‘are destined to die once and after that to face judgment’ (Hebrews
9:27) and then to end up in one of two destinations for all eternity (Revelation
20:11-15). That is something that wonderfully focusses the mind about
priorities on earth!
But the very next
verse puts it all in perspective because it tells us the wonderful news that ‘Christ
was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many’ and that ‘he will appear a
second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting
for him’ (Hebrews 9:27).
So are you waiting
for him?
Medicine is limited.
All it really can offer is a few more years of better quality.
The important thing
to realise is that this life is only a shadow of what is to come, and that what
follows this life is infinitely more important.
So don’t be scared
of cancer. If it happens it happens. Instead grasp the fact that there is actually
something far worse than cancer.
As Jesus said’ ‘I
will show you whom you should fear: fear him who, after your
body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell
you, fear him.’ (Luke 12:5)
If you are not a
Christian and that scares you, then you are not far from the Kingdom of God.
