WHAT IS CANCER?

Luck of the draw

by Alex Hutchins

According to the typical dictionary, cancer is:

1.      A disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body.

2.      A malignant growth or tumor resulting from such a division of cells

According to the National Cancer Institute

Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.

Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start - for example, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.

All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. To understand cancer, it's helpful to know what happens when normal cells become cancer cells.  The body is made up of many types of cells. These cells grow and divide in a controlled way to produce more cells as they are needed to keep the body healthy. When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.

According to the American Cancer Society

Cancer is the general name for a group of more than 100 diseases. Although there are many kinds of cancer, all cancers start because abnormal cells grow out of control. Untreated cancers can cause serious illness and death.

The body is made up of trillions of living cells. Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person’s life, normal cells divide faster to allow the person to grow. After the person becomes an adult, most cells divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells or to repair injuries.

Cancer starts when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. Cancer cell growth is different from normal cell growth. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells. Cancer cells can also invade (grow into) other tissues, something that normal cells cannot do. Growing out of control and invading other tissues are what makes a cell a cancer cell.

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How many different cancers are there?

There are more than 200 different types of cancer. You can develop cancer in any body organ. There are over 60 different organs in the body where a cancer can develop.

Each organ is made up of several different types of cells. For example, there is usually a surface covering of skin or epithelial tissue. Underneath that there will be some connective tissue, often containing gland cells. Underneath that there is often a layer of muscle tissue and so on. Each type of tissue is made up of specific types of cells. 

Cancer can develop from almost any type of cell in the body. So there is usually more than one type of cancer that can develop in any one part of the body. Often though, one type of cancer will be much more common in a particular organ.

List of Cancers

Cancer Deaths

577,100 deaths annually from cancer: 

Males – 301,820

Females – 275,370

Estimate new cases each year:  1,638,910

Cost of Cancer, 2010 – is in the billions of dollars

Yet, the number of cancer victims is still less than ¼ of 1% of the total population of America; so, the concern is minimal unless you or a family member become its victims.

In 20007/08, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (B-cell) and what I discovered was that there were over 50 varieties o NHL and then about 8 or so different categories of B-cell.  Stage IV was added to my diagnosis because it was in the bone marrow.  One Oncologist recommended that I be treated from a maintenance standpoint (simply keeping it from growing) with chemo using Retuxan; but, after relocating to an adjacent State, that Oncologist recommended that I also be treated  with chemo, but aggressively using a cocktail of:  Rituxan, Cytoxin, and Fludara which I soon found out was a very wicked combination of drugs and while what little hair I did have remained, my immune system was completely destroyed and I found myself needing to go to the ER a few days after treatment almost every time due to extreme, uncontrollable nausea even though I was given numerous pills and suppositories for nausea suppression.

It has been over a year since my last chemo treatment and a recent PET scan showed no signs of cancer in my body; yet, a bone marrow biopsy showed evidence that Lymphoma to a small degree was still lingering around in my bone marrow, indicating that it would return in 3 to 5 years or sooner.  My immune system has still not fully recovered; but, when asked, “how ya doin’?”  My answer is always, “I’m above ground!”

means lucky guy . . .

Many others have not been so lucky and I consider myself extremely lucky.