Treatments to Combat Cancer

Facts about Cancer · Cancer is a disease where cells multiply without control and destroy healthy tissue. · Cancer can endanger life and is the leading cause of death in many countries. · About 100 kinds of cancer affect human beings. With other kinds affecting plants and animals. · Cancer strikes people of all ages.

What treatments are the most effective to curing cancer? Cancer has become a very common illness which has affected more that 12 million people over the world since the 1970’s (Ahmedin, 2011). The diagnosis of cancers has been on the increase and many new kinds are being discovered. There are over 200 different kinds of cancers, most of which many people are unfamiliar with. Each type of cancer has different symptoms and many are diagnosed differently.

Cancer Chemotherapy and Personalized Medicine Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. It is known to promote the harboring of accumulated genetic alterations in normal host cells, which then promote cancerous growth. Cancer chemotherapy attempts to eradicate or functionally disable tumor cells by the use of synthetic and/or natural compounds while preserving normal cells. Chemotherapeutic agents can eliminate tumor cells by direct cytotoxicity, activating host immune response, inhibiting the proliferation processes of tumor cells and inducing apoptosis.

Thesis Statement While chemotherapy is beneficial at curing or helping a disease such as cancer, it can has a negative effect on a person’s body too. Purpose Statement

...2 new cells. Cancer cells are dividing more often than normal cells. That makes them more likely to be killed by the chemotherapy. Treatments are working to cure cancer. You are twice as likely to survive cancer today compared to 40 years ago.

...y by weakening the body cells. Another treatment method for cancer is using immunotherapy, which targets the body immunization systems that contribute to the fighting of medical conditions (Chan, 2013). Immunotherapy methods translate to the injection of chemicals into the affected systems in the body. This is to boost the bodily immunity as that may contribute to increased ejection of the cancerous cells in the body (Costa‐Requena, 2013). Another common treatment plan for cancer is using gene therapy. However, this treatment plan is used in cases where cancer occurs due to the genetic combination meaning that it is inherited (Costa‐Requena, 2013). The focus is to replace the depleted genes that contribute to cancer in the body with genes that work and promote regular bodily functions. This contributes to the removal of the cancerous cells in the body.

The lights are bright and the air is warm as the doctor walks in. As she sits down, her expression quite worrying, the room suddenly feels cold and imprisoning. As she begins to explain the results of the mammogram, the feeling worsens. The patient feels a sudden wave of nausea as the doctor tells her how there is a tumor growing in her left breast. This scenario plays out for too many women and men in the United States and worldwide. Thankfully though, due to much advancement in the technology of chemotherapy, patients suffering from breast cancer have been benefited greatly.

It can 't be done alone though along with radiation therapy is also surgery or chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy usually stops the cancer cells ability to grow and divide. It also isn 't used alone in treatment, but is used with surgery or radiation therapy. There are many side effects of chemotherapy which include; fatigue, risk of infection, nausea and vomiting, hair loss, loss of appetite and diarrhea.

Cancer is a deadly disease that affects millions of American families each year. In cancer, cell division isn't controlled. Usually, cells have to go through a set of checks and balances before they divide, in cancer that is nonexistent. The cells just keep duplicating until they eventually form disorganized clumps called tumors. Tumors can either be, benign, meaning that they do not possess the power to metastasize to surrounding areas. If a tumor has the power to metastasize, it is classified as a malignant tumor. In simple terms, a benign tumor is not cancerous, and a malignant tumor is. Cancer cells cannot perform the necessary functions they were created for. Some types of cancers, like pancreatic cancer, cannot be cured. Other cancers such as melanoma and breast cancer have high survival rates when caught early. The four major types of treatments used to treat cancer include, surgery to remove the affected organ, radiation, chemotherapy, or biological treatments.

For example, advanced cancer, or that which has metastasized to different parts of the body, often carries a terminal diagnosis, but it can be treated with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. However, this route requires aggressive treatment at the expense of quality of life.