Although cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, the survival rate for many types of cancer has remarkably improved in recent years. About 1 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, and about half a million people will die of the disease. However, improvements in cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment have greatly increase the survival rate. About 60 percent of all people diagnosed with cancer will be alive 5 years after treatment--and this figure increases each year with new medicines and medical procedures.
Cancer is a group of many related diseases that begin in cells, which are the body's basic building blocks. To understand cancer, it is helpful to know what happens when normal cells become cancerous. Normally, cells grow and divide to produce more cells as they are needed to keep the body healthy. Sometimes, this orderly process goes awry. New cells form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor. Not all tumors are cancerous; tumors can be benign or malignant.
Benign tumors are NOT cancer. They can often be removed and, in most cases do not come back. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. Most important, benign tumors are rarely a threat to life.
Malignant tumors ARE cancer. Cells in malignant tumors are abnormal and divide without control or order. Cancer cells invade and destroy the tissue around them. Cancer cells can also break away from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system.
Blood vessels include the network or arteries, capillaries, and veins through which your blood circulates through your body. The lymphatic system carries lymph and white blood cells to all tissues of the body. By spreading through the bloodstream or lymphatic system, cancer can spread from the original (primary) cancer site to form new tumors in other organs. This spread of cancer is called metastasis.
Cancer treatment can include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and biological therapy. The doctors may use one or a combination of methods, depending on the type and location of the cancer, whether the disease has spread, the patient's age and general health, and other factors. Because treatment for cancer also damages healthy cells and tissues, it often causes side effects.
Some patients worry that the side effects of the treatments are worse than the disease. However, patients and doctors generally discuss the treatment options, weighing the likely benefit of killing cancer cells and the risks of possible side effects. Doctors can also suggest ways to reduce or eliminate problems that may occur during and after treatment.
Surgery is common procedure to remove cancer. The side effects depend of many factors, including the size and location of the tumor, the type of operation, and the patient's general health. Some patients worry that having a biopsy will spread the disease. This a very rare occurrence since surgeons take special precautions to prevent cancer from spreading during surgery.
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells in a targeted area. Radiation can be given externally by a machine which aims radiation at the tumor site. It can also be given internally; a small container containing a radioactive substance is implanted near the cancer. Radiation treatments are painless, the side effects are usually temporary, and most can be easily treated and controlled. Patients are also likely to feel very tired--particularly in the later weeks of treatment.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. The doctor may use one drug or a combination of drugs. Because the drugs travel through the body, healthy cells are also affected. The side effects of chemotherapy depend primarily on the drugs and the dosage the patient receives. Hair loss is a common side effect. Anti-cancer drugs may also cause fatigue, infections, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and mouth or lip sores. Drugs that prevent or reduce nausea and vomiting can help with most of these side effects, which gradually go away after the treatment ends.
Hormone therapy is used to treat certain cancers that depend on hormones for their growth. Hormone therapy keeps cancer cells from using the hormone they need to grow. Another type of hormone therapy is surgery to remove organs that produce hormones. For example, ovaries may be removed to treat breast cancer or testicles may be removed to treat prostate cancer.
Biological therapy stimulates the body's immune system to fight disease and can lessen some of the side effects of cancer treatment. Interferon, interleukin-2, and colony stimulating factors are some types of biological therapy. The side effects vary with the specific treatment. In general, these treatments tend to cause flu-like symptoms, such as chills, fever, muscle aches, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea and diarrhea. These problems can be severe, but rapidly go away when the treatment stops.
Thanks to rapidly improving health care treatments and medical breakthroughs, a diagnosis of cancer no longer means an automatic death sentence. Millions of people, world-wide have beaten this insidious disease and have gone on to live long and productive lives. YOU CAN TO!
About the Author
Larry Denton is a retired history teacher having taught 33 years at Hobson High in Hobson, Montana. He is currently V.P. of Elfin Enterprises, Inc., an Internet business providing valuable information on a variety of timely topics. For a doctor's office full of information, resources and advice about cancer treatments, visit http://www.CancerDesk.com
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