Although cancer is
second leading cause of death in United States, survival rate for many types of cancer has remarkably improved in recent years. About 1 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in United States this year, and about half a million people will die of disease. However, improvements in cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment have greatly increase 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 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 body healthy. Sometimes, this orderly process goes awry. New cells form when 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 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 tissue around them. Cancer cells can also break away from a malignant tumor and enter bloodstream or lymphatic system.
Blood vessels include 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 body. By spreading through bloodstream or lymphatic system, cancer can spread from 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 type and location of cancer, whether disease has spread, 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 side effects of treatments are worse than disease. However, patients and doctors generally discuss treatment options, weighing likely benefit of killing cancer cells and risks of possible side effects. Doctors can also suggest ways to reduce or eliminate problems that may occur during and after treatment.
