Cancer Health Article

Cancer

A group of diseases characterized by uncontrollable cell growth.

Cancer is a family of diseases in which cells replicate at an extremely rapid pace. A cancerous, or malignant, tumor begins its growth at a primary site, damaging surrounding tissue and interfering with normal organ function. Eventually, some of the cancerous cells may migrate from the primary tumor to other parts of the body-via the bloodstream and form secondary tumors. The specific causes of most forms of cancer are unknown, but researchers have uncovered many probable factors that contribute to the development of the disease, including certain chemicals and forms of radiation, cigarette smoking, diet, and, in some cases, genetic predisposition. Although most cancers occur in adults, cancer is still responsible for more deaths in children than any other disease in the United States, where it is the second leading cause of death—after accidents—in children under the age of 15. Between 7,000 and 8,000 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year. Like the cancer rate among the adult population, the incidence of cancer in children, especially acute lymphocytic leukemia and brain cancer, is on the rise. However, scientific advances in diagnosis and treatment have dramatically improved short- and long-term survival rates for many childhood cancers.

Pediatrie oncologists specialize in the treatment of children with cancer. Childhood cancers are treated with the same three major techniques used for treating cancer in adults: chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. In chemotherapy, medication is administered orally or intravenously to kill cancer cells, or to stop or retard their growth. Usually a combination of different drugs is used for maximum effectiveness. Chemotherapy agents are powerful drugs that cause unpleasant and sometimes serious side effects, including nausea, hair loss, mouth sores, bleeding, and decreased immune function.

In radiation therapy, high doses of radiation are aimed at the affected area, killing cancer cells. This therapy brings many dangers to the patient. Radiation can kill cells or turn healthy cells into new cancer cells. Whole-body radiation, used to treat cancer that has spread, destroys the body's bone marrow. A matching donor, usually a close relative, must then be found to give marrow for a transplant procedure. Side effects of radiation include fever, irritability, hair loss, headaches, nausea, and appetite loss, in addition to skin irritations at the site where the χ rays are aimed. New treatment approaches being developed for children can reduce the side effects of radiation. These include hyperfractionation, which reduces the required dose of radiation, and tailored radiotherapy, which narrows the radiation to only a portion of the affected area. Surgery is the treatment of choice for localized cancers that are detected before they have spread. However, some cancers are more treatable by surgery than others, depending on the accessibility of the tumor. Surgery is often used in conjunction with radiation and/or chemotherapy to prevent a relapse, because if even a single cancer cell is left after the operation, it can lead to renewed abnormal growth and the recurrence of the tumor.