CancerIs There An Effective Treatment Essay Research

Cancer-Is There An Effective Treatment Essay, Research Paper

Introduction

Purpose

One of the many complications with cancer is that there are so many different types. Currently, there are 112 types of cancer, and there is an estimated 80 more types of cancer that are undiscovered. (United States Cancer Rates.) That leads to as many different treatments as there are types of cancer. Figure 1, located after the Recommendations section, on page 8 displays the number of recorded cancer cases over the past 15 years. I propose to look at several types of treatments and decide which method of treatment is the best based on effectiveness, side effects, and cost of each treatment.

History of the Problem

Cancer has affected mankind throughout history. Archeologists have discovered ancient Egyptian manuscripts that describe a fatal illness that often plagued the people. The graphic pictures of the tumors and sickness that eventually took its victim.s life closely parallel our present understanding of cancer (United States Closing in on Cancer.). In medieval times, the ancient Greek theory of the four bodily humors.blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile.were used to explain human illness. Uroscopy charts, which depict shades and conditions of urine samples, were used to indicate what disease might be present in someone. Cancer was commonly explained as the result of an excess of black bile. However, for the first time, it was believed to be possible to cure cancer, but only in its beginning stages.

Today, technology has given us a better understanding of exactly what cancer is and how it affects the human body. However, many people still have false beliefs. To some, the words cancer and death are synonymous. However, that is no longer true as more and more people are surviving the disease.

Recent Studies of the Problem

Serious cancer research has only been around for the past twenty to thirty years. Cancer is defined as a group of many different diseases that share a few important traits. The one thing common to all types of cancer is that they affect the body.s basic unit of life, the cell. Usually, cells grow and reproduce when it is necessary to the body. If cells continue to do this when it is not necessary, then excess tissue can build up and form a tumor.

Tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tissue is not cancer. It does not spread throughout the body or cause harm to the tissue surrounding it. Malignant tissue is cancer. Malignant tissue is composed of chemical carcinogens (substances that cause cancer) that attack a cell.s DNA, causing an error in the genetic code of the cell. These cells divide so rapidly that they cause damage to nearby tissue. They can also spread and invade other parts of the body through a process known as metastasis. During metastasis, cells detach from the tumor and enter the bloodstream. They are transported throughout the body and start new tumors. (United States What You Need.)

Within the past ten years, researchers have discovered a new method of treatment for cancer that may attribute to its cure. This new method is DNA/gene therapy. DNA/gene therapy is a new way of fighting illnesses that are thought to be incurable.

The human immune system is extremely complex and has several deep levels, which we are just beginning to understand. Specific molecules and mechanisms may be similar, but they can serve very different purposes. Various signals within the body allow the immune system to respond to, identify, and destroy things that don.t belong.whether they are bacteria, viruses, or abnormal cells such as tumors.

Advances in immunology and recombinant DNA techniques have allowed scientists to begin producing in mass quantity certain immune system molecules that would normally be found in trace amounts. Researchers are now looking into their use as therapeutic agents which will stimulate or strengthen a person.s natural immune defense mechanisms to help fight diseases such as cancer. Although this type of treatment is still in a very early stage of development, the initial response by researchers and patients alike gives a lot of hope. In the future, this could be widely used as a main type of treatment.

Research Procedure

The information for this paper is being gathered by means of secondary research. All journals, periodicals, and government documents are located in the Prescot Memorial Library at Louisiana Tech University. Some personal interviews may also be noted when necessary.

Cancer: Is There an Effective Treatment.

Problem

Everyone knows someone, either directly or indirectly, whose life has been affected by cancer. It is projected that 1 out of 2 males and 1 out of 3 females will be diagnosed with cancer by the year 2002. (Monographs 19) With an increase in the number of cancer cases, which treatment is the best alternative.

Criteria

With so many different treatments and combination of treatments, it is difficult to decide which individual treatment is the most effective. The effectiveness of a treatment is determined by how much of the cancer the treatment eliminates. The health risks associated with the treatment and the size of the cancer are factors that determine the effectiveness of each treatment.

After a patient is treated for cancer, side effects usual

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