CANCER

Cancer is a very scary thing. It can instantly take a loved one's life, a friend’s, or a teacher’s.
Cancer and the treatments show that throughout our society that we will go through extreme
measures because we are afraid of dying. Treatments can be very expensive and may not
always stop the progression of the cancer. I will discuss not only the physical impacts that
cancer treatment can have on the individual, but also one of the major impacts it has on
society. The financial distress caused by the cost of cancer care can cause patients to lose
their homes or jobs. There are many types of cancer treatment. The types of treatment that
you receive will depend on the type of cancer you have and how advanced it is. Some people
with cancer will have only one treatment. But most people have a combination of treatments,
such as surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The first, and most commonly
known treatment is called Chemotherapy. The first chemotherapy cancer treatment was used
in 1956. Since then, scientists have discovered that a combination of treatment types gives the
best chances of killing the cancer. It works by keeping the cancer cells from growing and
dividing to make more cells. It works throughout the entire body and is a systemic treatment.
The side effects of chemotherapy can be severe. Nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, hair
loss, and becoming immunocompromised (bodies inability to fight infection), just to name a
few. It is the prefered choice for treating fast growing cancers. Chemotherapy doesn't only
kill the cancer cells, but it also kills your body's healthy cells, such as your immune system,
bone marrow, heart and kidneys. After the cancer has been ‘treated’ they don't always say it's
been cured due to the fact that it can always come back.has been ‘treated’ they don't always
say it's been cured due to the fact that it can always come back. Next, many people with
cancer are treated with surgery. Depending on the type of cancer and how advanced it is,
surgery may be an option. Surgery can be used as the only treatment. But most often, you will
also have other cancer treatments. Surgery works best for solid tumors that are contained in
one area. Surgery can also be used to remove a tumor that is causing pain or discomfort. For a
lucky few, some are able to become cancer following surgical intervention without the need
for further chemotherapy or radiation. For example, my dad was diagnosed with kidney
cancer when I was about eight-years-old. He was only thirty-nine. He made the decision to
have the entire kidney removed that the cancerous tumor was in. I remember him telling me,
“You can live with one kidney. I want to see my kids grow up and don’t want to risk the
chance or recurrence with just removing the tumor”. During surgery, lymph nodesamples
were taken that would then be sent off for analysis. If the lymph nodes come back positive for
cancer cells, then further treatment would be needed with chemotherapy or radiation. My dad
was one of the lucky ones, he did not have to go through chemotherapy along with all of its
harsh side effects. Determining if surgery is an appropriate treatment options depends on the
type of cancer the patient has, where it is at in the body, and what stage the cancer is in. The
stage levels go up by how big the cancer is, such as stage 1 being the smallest, and going up
from there.