Over the years, cancer has become more and more common in the United States. Researchers have noted that unhealthy changes may have spurred this increase. Obesity has been linked to certain types of cancer, for instance, as have diet and lifestyle choices. Even the environment that someone lives in could expose them to cancer-causing substances, such as someone living in a home that still has asbestos insulation.
Another thing to keep in mind is simply that life expectancy has been increasing. Many people get cancer later on in life, and a greater percentage of the population lives into their 70s than at any other time in human history. This simply means that more people are alive long enough to develop cancer. Even as medical technology has a greater ability to keep people alive for longer, new types of cancer can develop.
There are more than 200 different types
Speaking of types of cancer, part of the reason that this disease is so common is just that there are around 200 different types to consider. Someone could be diagnosed with skin cancer that can be easily treated, while another person may have colon cancer or lung cancer. Often, the type is simply named after the area in the body where it occurs, and so the spread of cancer could cause it to mutate into multiple different types.
All of these types of cancer could prove to be a disability. The impact that they have on a person’s life can be dramatic, even when they recover. Just getting treatment can be rough on the body, especially when going through radiation treatment or chemotherapy. The combination of the disease and the treatment itself could make it impossible for someone to work. That’s why they need to know about all the legal options that they have.