Informative Essay: How Does The Spread Of Cancer

Cancer is defined as the disease that causes division of abnormal cells uncontrolled. Cancer is responsible for one out of every five deaths in the United States. It is second only to heart disease as a cause of death in this country (“Cancer”). Cancer is not just one disease, but a group of almost one hundred diseases. Every year, millions of people are diagnosed with cancer. Out of those numbers 500,000 are expected to die of this disease (“Advance”). An average of 1/2 of men and 1/3 of women will develop cancer. Cancer research was limited to the twentieth century, infectious, epidemic diseases became less of a threat to the wealthy, industrialized world. In 1990s, it was estimated that 1/3 of the population had developed some form of cancer …show more content…
Surgery is typically the first choice of treatment for the patient. If the cancer didn’t spread, then surgery would be the best option. The medical term for the spreading of cancer is metastases. It is responsible for about 90 percent of deaths associated with cancer (“How does Cancer Spread”). When a tumor is removed surgically, a small amount of the surrounding tissue is also removed (“How does Cancer Spread”). This ensures that no cancer cells are left in the area. Since cancer often spread by means of the lymphatic system, nearby lymph nodes are removed. Other treatments include radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, and bone marrow transplant. Radiation kills cancer cells. It is often used when a tumor cannot be removed by surgery. Chemotherapy is the use of chemical and drugs. Immunotherapy is similar to chemotherapy, but instead it uses the natural chemicals and drugs the body makes. Hormone therapy slows down the rate of the hormones related to the cancer development. A bone marrow transplant is the removal of some bone marrow from one person so that it can be given to another person (“Advance”). Sometimes it is impossible to remove all the cancer cells by surgery, so sometimes people get a Cyto-reduction. A Cyto-reduction is the removal of as much cancerous cells as possible and the remaining cells are treated with radiation, chemotherapy, or both. Palliation can also be used. It takes out as much of the tumor and helps to relieve the symptoms of cancer, even if it does not cure the disease itself (“Advance”). The term remission refers to a period of time when the cancer is responding to its treatment. When a patient is in remission, the cancer is under control. When someone is in complete remission, all signs and symptoms disappear. In partial remission, the cancer shrinks, but is still there. Remission can last anywhere from several weeks to many years. If the disease returns, another