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Cancer

Cancer is a disease that starts when the cells in some part of your body do things they aren’t supposed to do, like reproduce out of control or attack neighboring tissue. Often the rogue cells create tumours, which are clumps of cells that grow larger over time, damaging organs and consuming your body’s energy. If left untreated, these tumours may metastasize, or spread, creating new tumors in other parts of your body.

There are over 100 different types of cancers, but they fall into four broad categories:

• Carcinomas, which form on organs, including the skin
• Leukemias, which form in the blood-producing tissues in bone marrow
• Lymphomas, which form on your body’s lymph nodes
• Sarcomas, which start in connective tissue like bones and cartilage

Look it up in The Canadian Cancer Encyclopedia™

Causes and prevention

Smoking is the leading cause of cancer; 85% of Canadian cancer cases are associated with smoking. Smoking causes lung cancer, which is very dangerous because it is difficult to detect early, and can cause other cancers as well. One of the best ways to avoid cancer is to quit smoking. No one can explain exactly how smoking causes cancer, because it depends on the individual person’s reaction to the 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke. What is in Cigarette Smoke?

Over-exposure to the sun is the main cause of another common form of cancer: skin cancer. Invisible ultraviolet light from the sun penetrates your skin’s cells and scrambles the information in the cells’ DNA, damaging and killing them. Your body has a defensive reaction to this, which is to release melanin, a substance that causes your skin to darken (“tan”) and therefore bounce away more of this kind of light. The problem, especially in light-skinned people, is that this protection is not perfect and continued exposure can cause the damaged cells to become cancerous.

Eating well, exercising and maintaining a healthy body weight has also been shown to reduce the risk of cancer. Read the Canada Food Guide for some pointers on healthy eating. There are also certain environmental contaminants that are known to cause cancer.

Treatment

The four major types of cancer treatment are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. These treatments are sometimes used alone and sometimes in combination.

Chemotherapy attacks cancer tumours throughout the body with powerful drug treatments. Because these treatments are aggressive, some healthy tissue is damaged, but healthy tissue will usually repair itself when the treatment ends.

Radiation can scramble the DNA in healthy cells, but it can also kill the cells in cancer tumors. In radiation therapy, you are exposed to carefully controlled doses of a radioactive substance or a directed beam of radiation. As with chemotherapy, some damage to healthy tissue may result, but will usually heal normally. The three kinds of radiation therapy.

As tumours grow and attack nearby tissue, they can affect nerves and cause pain. Pain management is a major concern in cancer treatment, and you should never be reluctant to seek help for your pain. When properly administered and monitored, pain medication is neither addictive nor bad for your health. Learn more about pain medication and other ways to relieve cancer pain.

Since cancer treatments can affect healthy tissue as well as the tumour, there are sometimes unpleasant side effects. Your health care team will have strategies for dealing with these side effects.

Side effects of chemotherapy
Side effects of radiation therapy

A cancer diagnosis is often scary, and the stress of treatments and ongoing worry can be problems in and of themselves. There are a number of methods for managing stress. Talking to someone about your feelings is always a good idea. If you know someone with cancer, you will probably want to know how you can help.

Find out how to deal with cancer stress.
Talk to someone who has been there.
How to help.

There are a lot of treatments for cancer out there that are billed as alternatives or complements to accepted medical practice. These should be discussed thoroughly with your health care team, especially if you are considering using one of these treatments instead of one your doctor has prescribed. Be skeptical about promises that seem too good to be true and remember that many advertised treatments have never been scientifically proven to have any effect. On the other hand, if your health care team agrees, and the treatment will make you feel better emotionally, go for it!

Getting help

When you are diagnosed with cancer, a whole team of medical professionals gets involved with your treatment. Many people with cancer find it useful to speak to someone else who has had their condition. The Canadian Cancer Society is an excellent resource for all your questions about cancer. You may also call them to reach an information specialist, at 1-888-939-3333 from Monday to Friday, that can answer your questions and help you find information on types of cancer, treatments and even serivces in your community.

Being Informed

Here are some useful links and recommendations for cancer information.

Other Online Resources:

• BC Cancer Agency
• Cancer Care Ontario
• Alberta Cancer Board
• CancerCare Manitoba Foundation
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (US)

Recommended Reading:

• What You Really Need to Know about Cancer: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Their Families by Dr. Robert Buckman (The Johns Hopkins University Press , 1997)
• Cancer is a Word, Not a Sentence: A Step-by-Step Practical Guide to Cancer and Cancer Treatment by Dr. Robert Buckman (Key Porter Books, 2005)
• The Human Side of Cancer: Living with Hope, Coping with Uncertainty by Jimmie Holland and Sheldon Lewis (Harper Paperbacks , 2001)
• The Canadian Cancer Encyclopedia™
  A comprehensive database of cancer information - select the type of cancer from the list provided.

By the Numbers

• The total number of lung cancer cases (men and women combined) is greater than the number of either prostate or breast cancer cases
• Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women
• Overall, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer
• 43% of new cancer cases and 60% of deaths due to cancer occur among those who are at least 70 years old
• On the basis of current incidence rates, 38% of women and 44% of men in Canada will develop cancer during their lifetimes

*Source: Canadian Cancer Statistics 2006 by the Canadian Cancer Society

Clinical Trials
Safe trials of new treatments are happening all the time – and you could participate! Always consult your health care team before enrolling in any trial.

Telling children about a cancer diagnosis in the family
What to tell your child about cancer.

Cancer Myths
Got a scary e-mail about something that supposedly causes cancer? Check here first before forwarding!

 

TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR

Reading about conditions online should never replace a visit to your doctor. The information provided here can help you get educated about various conditions and their treatments. Always seek the advice of a physician or other licensed health care professional regarding any questions you have about your medical condition(s) and treatment(s).