Cancer; The Facts

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you (Pausch 1)" said Randy Pausch as he began a lecture at Carnegie Mellon University about childhood dreams. Randy was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and has ten large tumors in his liver. Despite the doctors estimates of only three to six months left of good health he conducts his speech not with sorrow but with positive energy (Pausch 1). Randy does not look sick or even act sick, but is terminally ill. Cancer comes at everyone differently and is not prejudice, it yields to no one.

Ten point eight million people are living in America with cancer, another one point four million are expected to be diagnosed in 2008 with cancer, and over half a million are expected to die this year as a result of cancer; about 1,500 a day (Cancer 3). These are staggering statistics that are hard to comprehend, and for a lot of people they are just statistics for now. Cancer will effect about 50% of men and 33% of women these are not just statistics but people (Statistics 1).

All it takes for someone to get cancer is one cell. One abnormal cell out of the trillion of cells that make up our body, just one needs to get messed up. Cancer is when a cell proceeds to grow and divide with uncontrolled growth, you can't stop it from multiplying (Cancer 1). The one cell becomes a group of cells that grow and can spread to kill the body. Cancer is a result of one of two factors which are classified as internal or external (Cancer 1). Internal factors which can cause cancer are, inherited mutations and hormones (Cancer 1). Internal factors can't be controlled they are given to you at birth and passed down through your family. External Factors are things such as radiation, smoking, and chemicals (cancer 1). External factors can't necessarily be controlled either but, by not smoking and using sunscreen you can help reduce your risk of cancer.

Fighting cancer is a very long and hard road that is anything but easy. There are many treatments options such as surgery, chemo therapy and radiation. They can be used individually or all together depending on the type and severity of the cancer. Surgery is used to go in to try and remove the cancerous cells (surgery 1). Surgery very effective if cancer is found in it's early stages and has not spread. Not all cancer can be removed by surgery some can be in-operable if they are around sensitive organs such as the brain (Surgery 1). Another form of treatment is radiation therapy. Radiation is a form of energy carried in waves which disrupts the DNA in a cell to stop it from dividing (Radiation 1). Unfortunately Radiation can effect the DNA of healthy cells in the area of the cancerous cells too. The last main type of treatment is chemotherapy. The one advantage of chemotherapy is that it is not concentrated to one location it travels throughout your whole body killing cancer that may have spread form the original location (chemotherapy 1). Chemo unfortunately can not distinguish healthy cells from cancerous cells and will lower your white blood cell count making you feel extremely sick and tired (chemotherapy 1). Chemotherapy is described by many cancer patients as the worse part of cancer, it slow deteriorates your body do cleanse your system.

Cancer will effect everyone either directly or indirectly. Its not a question of if cancer will effect you but when. When someone gets diagnosed with cancer it not only effects them but their family and friends. Cancer is a ripple effect that effects everyone, and must not be ignored.