Life with Cancer

            Cancer affects everyone in one way or another, even if you have it or if you know someone that has it. You might not think of cancer having to do with cells, but all of life has to do with cells. When you know someone that has it you know roughly what happens. The one thing they don’t think of is cells and how they attack to body to the point of death unless stopped by treatment or is caught before it spreads further. Life when you have cancer, life itself will never be the same and cells are the only factor to blame once someone is diagnosed with cancer.

            When you have any type of cancer, it starts by irregular cells that reproduce extremely fast and attack the regular cells in the body (What is cancer?). The reproduction of cells depends on the amount of cells a body will need. So, when cells are damaged and then reproduced, it is making mutations that will keep on reproducing until the body is filled with the bad cells (Defining Cancer). The reproduction of cells is by the process of Mitosis, which is when one cell produces two cells and those two cells create another two cells until the body is completely full of cells (V. Cancer cells escape from the controls on cell division).

            While the cells are multiplying very quickly, it can only pass through certain parts of body. The blood and lymph systems are the ways in which cancer cells can spread through the body. The lymph system, or the lymphatic system, is the system of production of white blood cells that attack diseases (Lymph System). When you have cancer there are usually a low amount of white blood cells, which means the body has a hard time of fighting of the cancer cells once they have spread that far. Many other sicknesses like a cold or an influenza are easier to catch since your immune system is down; people that you see wearing masks, are trying not to inhale the influenza germs in the air. The area where the lymph system is more prominent is the neck, chest, abdomen, and armpit. A gathering of additional cells may form together around a mass of tissue and create a tumor (Defining Cancer). 

            Though the lymph system is one way cancer can travel by, there are also theories based around lymph system and other guesses to the causes of cancer. There are many theories throughout history but the closest theory to match what cancer is today is the Blastema Theory which was created in 1838 by Johannes Muller, a German Pathologist who thought that cancer was created by normal cells that come across normal and Blastema tissue, becoming abnormal  (Cancer Causes: Throughout History). Most theories take were created in the 1800’s as the Trauma Theory was, and lasted to about the mid 1920’s. Many people thought that cancer was caused by some sort of trauma, which is irrational (Cancer Causes: Throughout History).

            Seeing that there are no theories that are the exact reason for the cause of cancer, meaning that there is no cure yet, there are many treatments to help get rid of cancer. Including Chemo, Radiation, surgery, Transplants, and other tested biological treatments to treat the growing cancer (Treatment & Side Effects). Radiation treatments attack cancer cells by trying to eliminate the DNA in a cell. The DNA in a cell is held in the nucleus, so without a nucleus the cell cannot work because the nucleus controls the cell like a brain would a human. The downside to Radiation or other treatments is that it can also eliminate normal cells too. In my mom’s case, as in many other cases, Radiations therapy is used along with Chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells. Chemotherapy uses strong drugs that kill cancer cells within the body (Types of Cancer Treatments). There are various side effects to having Chemo or Radiation since both these therapies can remove normal cells too: hair loss, change in appetite, easily gained infection, and nerve changes (Treatment & Side Effects). If you get tumors during the time you have cancer, surgery is one way to dispose of the tumor itself. My mom had all three treatments, along with transplants to regain the tissue she had lost during the surgery. It effects your whole life, so the only way to defeat cancer, is to get treatments before the cells spread too far.

            Rather than getting cancer, there are many ways to detect cancer early so that it doesn’t extend into the body further and cause more damage. There have been 1,638,910 new cases of cancer, and 577,190 deaths since the beginning of 2012. Screening is to check for signs and symptoms of cancer, many can be found before they cause problems or death (Screening and Testing to Detect Cancer). Since breast cancer affects a lot of women all over the world, it is a good idea to get tested every six months. For other cancers, if anything abnormal, like an ongoing sore, rash, or a lump anywhere on your body it should be checked by doctor immediately. Also you should see the doctor regularly to stay as healthy as possible.

            Cancer is life changing and life will never be the same after it is gone. Cells contribute to the cancer because it spreads and spreads until there is nowhere else to go. Prevention of cancer is almost impossible without knowing the exact cause of cancer, but there are many ways to screen and get treatment for it. Make sure to watch and be aware of what could be cancer and the options you have to defeat it.  You are the only who can realize and understand what happening. You are the one with the power to overcome it. And you are the one that will fight the cancer until it is gone.