Cancer

= CANCER = By: Castelli Laflotte Edited by Brian Senajor 10/13/2014


 * 1) 1. Fact Sheet:

A. Cancer

B. Uncontrolled growth of cells

 C. Affect many different cells and organs ranging from brain, heart, lung, kidney, breast, testicle and prostate.

D. Cancer has been around for long time. It is genetic based and has ties all the way back until 3000 BC in ancient Egyptian times. It was seen +as a contagious disease at first. However, with the widespread use of the microscope in the 18th century, it was discovered that the 'cancer poison' spread from the primary tumor through the lymph nodes to other sites. This view of the disease was first formulated by the English surgeon Campbell De Morgan between 1871 and 1874. The 19th century saw the birth of scientific oncology with use of the modern microscope in studying diseased tissues. Rudolf Virchow, often called the founder of cellular pathology, provided the scientific basis for the modern pathological study of cancer. Famous athletes have been diagnosed with cancer, such as Lance Armstrong, and they have continued to push through and fight the good fight.

E. Symptoms vary depending on the location of the cancer, but most share the common symptoms of chills, fatigue, fever, weight loss, night sweats, and malaise.

 Treatment varies based on the type of cancer and the present stage. The stage of a cancer refers to how far the cancer progressed If the cancer is confined to one location and has not spread, the most common treatment approach is surgery to cure the cancer. This is often the case with skin cancers, as well as cancers of the lung, breast, and colon. If the tumor has spread to local lymph nodes only, sometimes these can be removed. If surgery cannot remove all of the cancer, the options for treatment include radiation, chemotherapy, or both. Some cancers require a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy

G. Current research is always on going as many different organizations and programs are constantly looking for new innovative treatments. And of course, the biggest challenge is finding a cure for cancer. Treatments are only able to regress and suppress the cancer and symptoms. Research is being done to eliminate cancer completely.

Below is a flow chart that shows the development of cancer: Figure 1: Development of cancer in a human. (Molecular Basics Of Cancer. Figure 7-27)