Articles About Cancer: Top 5 Examples and 7 Prompts

Discover our guide with writing prompts and example articles about cancer to help you begin writing on this challenging topic. 

The latest statistics show there are almost 10 million deaths from cancer globally. Compared to previous decades, there are more reasons for humans to develop cancer, mainly related to lifestyle. Some risk factors include eating highly processed foods, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and air pollution. However, there is also a gradual decrease in cancer mortality rates as modern tests and treatments become available.

There’s constant interest in medical information gathered through various research methods. To successfully write an article about cancer, you need extensive investigation to only present facts.

Articles About Cancer Examples

1. What Is Cancer? By Dorothea N. Douglas, M.D.

“Almost everyone knows someone who got very sick or died from cancer. Most of the time, cancer affects older people. Not many kids get cancer, but when they do, very often it can be treated and cured.”

Douglas defines cancer as a disease involving the abnormal growth and spread of cells in the body. She explains that while doctors aren’t sure what causes cancer in children, it’s not contagious or caused by germs. Additionally, diagnosing children is more complicated than adults because cancer symptoms are similar to common diseases.

As for treatments, the author explains that it always depends on the type of cancer and its stage. Treatment is very similar to treating older cancer patients, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Douglas notes that “remission” is the best word cancer patients want to hear because it means no more signs of cancer in the body.

2. Cancer Undefeated by John C. Bailar, M.D., PH.D., and Heather L. Gornik, M.H.S.

“The war against cancer is far from over. Observed changes in mortality due to cancer primarily reflect changing incidence or early detection. The effect of new treatments for cancer on mortality has been largely disappointing.”

In this article, the authors try to prove that new treatments are not enough to defeat cancer. According to their research, the age-adjusted mortality rate of cancer due to various causes decreased by only 1%. The recent decline in cervical, colon, rectal, stomach and other uterine cancers is from reduced incidence and early detection.

Although there’s a lower death count for lung cancer patients who changed their smoking patterns, the writers believe the disease will remain undefeated as casualties from other cancer types increase. To effectively fight cancer, the researchers suggest a national commitment to prevention, a rebalancing of research focus and funding, and improvements in cancer prevention plans.

3. Cancer in American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States by Anonymous on CDC.Gov

“American Indian and Alaska Native (Native American) people have much higher rates of getting several cancers, including lung, colorectal, liver, stomach, and kidney cancers, compared to non-Hispanic White people in the United States.”

The above article presents key findings on the number of Native Americans who develop cancer in six U.S. regions. To ensure the information presented is accurate, the researchers only used cancer incidence data from central cancer registries and purchased/referred care delivery countries. The piece also includes recommendations to lower cancer rates, such as ensuring that all Native Americans have cancer screening tests. When editing for grammar, we also recommend improving the readability score of a piece of writing before publishing or submitting it.

4. Cancer Prognosis by Dr. Ananya Mandal, M.D.

“Knowledge of prognosis is the patient’s prerogative. He or she might want to know it or might refuse to know the prognosis of their cancer as they may find it frightening or confusing.”

Mandal defines prognosis as the estimated treatment success rate and the patient’s chance of recovery. She lists several factors influencing cancer prognoses, such as the type, location, stage, patient’s age, and others. The author mentions the five-year survival cancer prognosis and discusses common ways to determine its course.

She explains that while the projections are confusing and can scare cancer patients, most still want to know their prognosis. It’s because it assists patients and their families in coping with the diagnosis and considering possible treatment outcomes, special needs during recovery, and other personal matters.

5. Spotting Skin Cancer: Tips From the National Cancer Institute by National Library of Medicine

“Skin cancer can happen anywhere on your body, but it is most common in skin that is often exposed to sunlight, such as the face, neck, and hands.”

The writer describes skin cancer as the most common cancer in the U.S. caused by direct exposure to the sun and U.V. rays. It lists the risk factors for developing skin cancer and shares facts about it. 

To identify an early melanoma and prevent its spread, the author presents the ABCDE rule: asymmetry, border, color, diameter, and emerging. The article also analyzes the common types of skin cancer found on the top layer of human skin. 

7 Prompts for Articles About Cancer

1. A History of Malignant Cancer

While the earliest evidence of cancer is believed to be recorded in an ancient Egyptian papyrus, there are very few articles about its history. For this prompt, write about the word’s origin, other earliest evidence of the disease, and how it evolved over the centuries. Discuss old theories about the causes of cancer, diagnostic methods used, and changes in treatments from the past to the present.

2. What Are the Types of Cancer?

According to the latest data, breast and lung cancer are the world’s most common cancer types. In your article, identify all types of cancer and describe their causes, symptoms, and various stages of cancer. Then, discuss which are common, rare, life-threatening, and curable. Support your article with the newest research available on this topic.

3. Cancer Diagnosis, Progression, and Treatment

Because there are different types of cancer, medical professionals use various methods to diagnose and treat a cancer patient. Create an informative article containing the traditional and latest methods of diagnosis and treatment used in different cancer types. Then, write about how cancer develops and how quickly it can spread through the body.

4. How Do People Live With Cancer Pain?

Cancer patients experience pain caused by symptoms and treatments to varying degrees. In this article, identify these pains and their specific sources. Next, provide practical strategies cancer patients can use to relieve or lessen their discomfort.

For example, patients who experience severe and persistent pain after surgery and chemotherapy should consult medical professionals immediately to ask for advice on how to alleviate the pain. 

5. How Cancer Develops

Cancer starts when body cells grow uncontrollably, but many don’t fully understand its implications. For this prompt, describe the differences between normal and cancer cells and why it’s detrimental to the body. You can also talk about the mutated or missing genes related to cancer, their roles in the body, and how they contribute to cancer progression.

6. Do All Tissue Changes Lead to Cancer?

Cancer cells can spread to the body’s tissues. However, not all changes in the tissues are linked to cancer. Answer the question prompt and delve into the different changes in the tissues, both cancerous and not. Explain why doctors and researchers monitor these changes for any possibility of cancer.

7. How To Prevent Cancer

Cancer can be inherited through affected genes, intensified by environmental exposures, or both. To mitigate the chances of incurring cancer, one must avoid risk factors, such as excessive alcohol consumption.

In your article, write about effective ways to prevent cancer and list the risk factors that can and can’t be avoided. Maximize the use of available information on this topic to support your claims. For help editing your articles, we recommend using the best grammar checker. Our round-up profiles these tools and offers discounts.