It's no secret that cancer rates in the Western world have continued to climb. Despite decades of research and billions of dollars in funding, the scientific community has yet to identify a cure.
Perhaps more surprising, though, was the finding that second cancers - not to be confused with recurrence - are on the rise, according to Natural News. In fact, 1 in 5 cancer diagnoses are in an individual who has already been battling another form of cancer.
In the last 46 years, the rate of second cancers has increased by 300 percent. Even the rate of initial cancers has grown, up 70 percent since 1970.
Second Cancer vs. Recurrence
As the American Cancer Society explained, there are many patients who experience a recurrence, which is when the cancer comes back or resurfaces after the completion of treatment. When this happens, it is the same kind of cancer that was originally discovered. In some instances, however, patients who have survived one form of cancer such as lung cancer, will develop a second and unrelated disease, referred to as a second cancer.
"Some cancer treatments cause second cancers."
The ACS acknowledged that the reason for second cancers is not definitively clear, though some forms of cancer make it more likely that a second, unrelated cancer will emerge. What is more notable is that the organization also revealed the likelihood that second cancers may in fact have been caused by treatment for the original cancer itself. Many forms of leukemia and the bone marrow cancer known as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), for example, are the result of exposure to radiation in the past, such as during treatment.
Similarly, drugs given to patients for chemotherapy have also been known to cause a second cancer. Specifically, MDS and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) have been linked to patients who were receiving chemotherapy as a treatment for a first cancer.
The Cost of Cancer
As Natural News pointed out, the cancer industry beats all others when it comes to remunerative business. In 2015, the market for cancer treatments worldwide grew to $107 billion, according to a new study released by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. In the past five years alone, organizations have developed more than 70 novel treatment therapiess But who are these treatments really benefiting? Are they merely causing more cancers and fueling the industry with more money?
As the experts at Hallelujah Acres explained, the majority of people are looking at cancer backward. Instead of focusing on finding the elusive cure, the medical industry - and patients for that matter - should be identifying the cause. Healed of cancer himself more than four decades ago, founder of Hallelujah Diet Reverend George Malkmus knows the secret to overcoming disease and illness.
"All the evidence points to an industry that does not want people to realize the true cause of physical breakdowns, because that would be unprofitable to them," wrote Rev. Malkmus
The answer, however, is much simpler than it may seem. There is extensive research that points to a link between cancer and the Standard American Diet, especially animal-based foods. If more people understood just how powerful a primarily raw, plant-based diet could be for their health, would they make the lifestyle change? If so, it might even reverse the statistics on the growing rate of second cancers in the U.S.
