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What Is Cancer?

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Created: 2007-05-04 02:40:53

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Cancer is a scary word. 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.

What is cancer?

Cancer is actually a group of many related diseases that all have to do with cells. Cells are the very small units that make up all living things, including the human body. There are billions of cells in each persons body.

Cancer happens when cells those are not normal grow and spread very fast. Normal body cells grow and divide and know to stop growing. Over time, they also die. Unlike these normal cells, cancer cells just continue to grow and divide out of control and dont die.

Causes of cancer

You probably know a kid who had chickenpox - maybe even you. But you probably dont know any kids whove had cancer. If you packed a large football stadium with kids, probably only one child in that stadium would have cancer.

Doctors arent sure why some people get cancer and others dont. They do know that cancer is not contagious. You cant catch cancer from someone else who has it. Cancer isnt caused by germs, like colds or the flu are. So dont be afraid of other kids - or anyone else - with cancer. You can talk to, play with, and hug someone with cancer.

Kids cant get cancer from anything they do either. Some kids think that a bump on the head causes brain cancer or that bad people get cancer. This isnt true! Kids dont do anything wrong to get cancer. But some unhealthy habits, especially cigarette smoking or drinking too much alcohol every day, can make you a lot more likely to get cancer when you become an adult.

Finding Out About Cancer

It can take a while for a doctor to figure out a patient has cancer. Thats because the symptoms cancer can cause - weight loss, fevers, swollen glands, or feeling overly tired or sick for a while - are usually not caused by cancer. When someone has these problems, its often cased by something less serious, like an infection. With medical testing, the doctor can figure out

If the doctor suspects cancer, he or she can do tests to figure out if thats the problem. A doctor might order X-rays and blood tests and recommend the person go to see an oncologist. An oncologist is a doctor who takes care of and treats cancer patients. The oncologist will likely run other tests to find out if someone really has cancer. If so, tests can determine what kind of cancer it is and if it has spread to other parts of the body. Based on the results, the doctor will decide the best way to treat it.

One test that an oncologist (or a surgeon) may perform is a biopsy. During a biopsy, a piece of tissue is removed from a tumor or a place in the body where cancer is suspected, like the bone marrow. Dont worry - someone getting this test will get special medicine to keep him or her comfortable during the biopsy. After the sample is collected, it will be examined under a microscope for cancer cells. The sooner cancer is found and treatment begins, the better someones chances are for a full recovery and cure.

TREATING CANCER CAREFULLY!!!!

Cancer is treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation - or sometimes a combination of these treatments. The choice of treatment depends on:

Surgery is the oldest form of treatment for cancer. Three out of every five people
With cancer will have an operation to remove the cancer? During surgery, the
Doctor tries to take out as many cancer cells as possible. Some healthy cells or
Tissue may also be removed to make sure that all the cancer is gone.

Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer medicines (drugs) to treat cancer. These medicines are sometimes taken as a pill, but are usually given through a special intravenous line, also called an IV. An IV is a tiny catheter (straw-like tube) that is put into a vein through someones skin, usually on the arm. The catheter is attached to a bag that holds the medicine.

The medicine flows from the bag into a vein, which puts the medicine into the
Blood, where it can travel throughout the body and attack cancer cells.

Chemotherapy is usually given over a number of weeks to months. Often, a
Permanent catheter is placed under the skin into a larger blood vessel of the upper
Chest. This called PORTA CATH. This way, a person can easily get several
Courses of chemotherapy and other medicines through this catheter without
Having a new IV needle put in. The catheter remains under the skin until all the
Cancer treatment is completed.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy waves, such as X-rays (invisible waves that
Can pass through most parts of the body), to damage and destroy cancer cells. It
Can cause tumors to shrink and even go away completely. Radiation therapy is
one of the most common treatments for cancer. Many people with cancer find it
goes away after receiving radiation treatments.

With both chemotherapy and radiation, kids may experience side effects. A side
effect is an extra problem thats caused by the treatment. Radiation and anti
cancer drugs are very good at destroying cancer cells, but unfortunately they also
destroy healthy cells. This can cause problems such as loss of appetite, tiredness,
vomiting, or hair loss.

With radiation, a person might have red or irritated skin in the area thats being
treated. But all these problems go away and hair grows back after the treatment is
over. During the treatment, there are medicines that can help a person feel better.

While treatment is still going on, a kid might not be able to attend school or be
around crowds of people - the kid needs to rest and cant risk getting infections,
such as the flu, when he or she already isnt feeling well. Getting Better.

Getting better

Remission is a great word for anyone who has cancer. It means all signs of cancer are gone from the body. After surgery or treatment with radiation or chemotherapy, a doctor will then do tests to see if the cancer is still there. If there are no signs of cancer, then the person is in remission. Remission is the goal when any person with cancer goes to the hospital for treatment. Sometimes, this means additional chemotherapy might be needed for a while to keep cancer cells from coming back. Continued remission is the very happy end of their cancer experience.

Prepared by: Shumaila Wazir Ali

Organization: THE AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

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