Cancer Essay

To understand what cancer is we must first understand the basics. This is to say that we have to understand how normal cells become cancer cells. As we know cells are the basic units of life, they carry our genetic makeup (DNA), and compose everything within us, giving them the name "building blocks of life". Under normal circumstances the body maintains a state of homeostasis (internal balance), where old cells die and are replaced with newer healthy ones. However, sometimes these cells become damaged and the DNA becomes altered, mutating the normal reproduction of cells. This in turn stops cells from dying (a process called apoptosis) and causes cells to grow and divide uncontrollably when there is no need, resulting in extra cells that form tumors. The cause of this is still not 100% certain, although it is believed that it could be genetic, and these mutated genes are inherited, or that it can be due to carcinogens (hazardous outside substances, such as UV rays, radiation, viruses, smoke, ect.) damaging cells and preventing them from working properly. Not all tumors are cancerous however, and they can be classified into two categories, benign and malignant. The first of the two is NOT cancerous, and can be removed through surgery; it also does not spread or come back. Malignant tumors however ARE cancerous and are at danger of spreading and causing metastasis (this is how cancer spreads). The term cancer by the way, applies only to this second type of tumor. How malignant tumors spread is another important factor to be understood and it happens through either invasion or as previously stated through metastasis. During invasion cancerous cells directly penetrate into neighboring tissue, in metastasis on the other hand it spreads to OTHER parts of the body via penetration of the lymphatic system and blood vessels and traveling through the bloodstream.

Depending on where it ends up, the cancers are classified into five different categories; "Carcinoma (cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs), Sarcoma (begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue), Leukemia (starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood), Lymphoma/ Myeloma (begins in the cells of the immune system), Central nervous system cancer (begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord)" (National Cancer Institute. What is Cancer). Furthermore, cancers are termed by suffixes (-sarcoma, -carcinoma, -oma), and a cell type prefix. The following are the most common ones: "Adeno (gland), Chondro (cartilage), Erythro (red blood cell), Hemangio (blood vessels), Hepato (liver), Lipo (fat), Lympho (white blood cell), Melano (pigment cell), Myo (muscle), Osteo (bone), Uro (bladder), Retino (eye), and Neuro (brain)" (Meditec, 2011). Because all cancers are different, defining symptoms and spotting it is difficult, much of this depends on greatly upon where the cancer is located, how big it is and where it spreads to. Where some are easily visible or felt, like skin pigmentation in melanoma, or a lump in breast or testicle cancer, others are extremely harder to spot. Symptoms overall greatly depend upon location where the tumor will usually produce problems and affect the normal functioning of organs. Because cancer cells use a lot of the body's energy they cause side effects such as fever, excessive sweating, anemia, weight loss, fatigue, lung problems, sores, unusual bleeding, odd bowel movements, pain, and skin changes such as darkening, yellowing, reddening and itching. And even though a lot of the said symptoms can be a result of many other illnesses it is still extremely important to seek medical attention, just in case it is some form of tumor and can be caught at an early stage.

In 2010, it was estimated that 789,620.00 men and 739,940.00 women were diagnosed of some type of cancer, and out of that number 569,490.00 people died as a result of it (American Cancer Society, 2011). This is an extraordinary number, especially when you take into consideration survival rates. According to statistics, the top 5 cancers with the best survival rate rank as follows: "Prostate (99% at 5 years, 81% at 20), Thyroid (96%), Testicular (95%), Melanoma (89%), Breast (86), the worst recovery rate on the other hand include Pancreas (4%), Liver and Bile Duct (8%), Esophagus (14%), Lung (15%), and stomach cancer (24%)" (McBean, 2011). With such scary statistics, the question that arises next is how exactly is it caught and treated, and furthermore, how if at all can it be prevented? Diagnosis starts off with a diagnosis of the cancerous cell, this includes doing a biopsy where a doctor must surgically take a sample of the affected tissue and examining it