questions about cancer?

Question

Where does cancer come from and where did it originate? How does a doctor detect that a person has cancer? Why is it that if a person has cancer they are often not able to reproduce?

What is chemotherapy and what is it for?

Answer 1

Cancer simply refers to a cellular irregularity where, for any reason, the cell is no longer under the bodies control. The cell usually reproduces uninhibited and may or may not secrete hormones into the body.

There are many different "markers" in the blood that we can test for, and some are specific to certain areas of the body (GI, brain, heart, etc...) CT scans and biopsy's can also be done.

Reproduction may be affected if the cancer is in a glandular tissue (Pituitary, ovarian) or if it blocks normal function of the genito-urinary organs or tract.

Chemotherapy is short for chemical therapy. These are toxic drugs that are meant to kill cells. They are non-cell specific meaning they kill all of the fast reproducing cells in the body including cancer cells, hair cells, gi tract cells, skin cells, etc.... (This is where the side effects of chemo come from)

Answer 2

Not that much is known about cancer, but I do know that cancer is caused when something goes wrong with the cells. They do not differentiate and they do not listen to the body's signals to die so they multiply. They can end up benign (non cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). There are many different types of cancers, so it depends on the symptoms. For example, brain cancer has symptoms such as personality changes, forgetfullness, saying trange things, etc. Chemotherapy can affect the reproductive system. I think radio can too.

Answer 3

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease of the body's cells. Normally cells grow and multiply in a controlled way, however, if something causes a mistake to occur in the cells' genetic blueprints, this control can be lost. Cancer is the term used to describe collections of these cells, growing and potentially spreading within the body. As cancerous cells can arise from almost any type of tissue cell, cancer actually refers to about 100 different diseases.

Cancer cells that do not spread beyond the immediate area in which they arise are said to be benign ie. they are not dangerous. If these cells spread into surrounding areas, or to different parts of the body, they are known as malignant - commonly referred to as cancer.


Different cancers require different tests to detect them.

How is cancer treated?

The type of cancer treatment or combination of treatments that a patient has depends on the type and stage of the cancer. The most common types of cancer treatment are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Some cancers can be cured if the tumour is detected and surgically removed before the cancer cells spread. Chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs) and radiotherapy (radiation treatment) can also cure cancer, by killing cancer cells or stopping them from multiplying. Often these treatments are most effective when used together.

The main goal of treatment is to cure the disease, but if cure is not possible, different treatments may be used to control the cancer. New ways of treating cancer are always being developed and tested. In the future, we can expect to see a new range of 'designer drugs' which can block the blood supply that tumours need to grow, correct the genetic defects that lead to cancer and assist the body's immune system to fight cancer.


Many forms of chemotherapy have sterility as a possible side effect.

Answer 4

'Cancer' is the 'general name' given to cells in the body that start to 'grow out of control' ... and it's something that 'just happens' to some people, while others do things that can make them 'get cancer' more easily, like smoking or not eating healthy foods. A doctor 'detects' the cancer in many different ways ... the 'cancer' could be a 'tumor' that causes 'pain' or abnormal formation of a part of the body, or it could be a 'mole' that 'looks cancerous' (uneven edges, very dark, sometimes bleeding slightly). I've had cancer twice ... and I've given birth to five children (one died of SIDS at ten weeks, the others are all grown and having their own kids) between the two cases of 'primary cancer.' I had 'malignant melanoma' and was told I had 'three months' to live the first time, when I was 21 ... and I was in my early 40s when I got the second 'primary cancer' ... but if a person has a 'cancer' in or around/near their 'reproductive organs' they can't and shouldn't try to have children for at least five years of 'total remission' to prevent the child getting the same cancer. Chemotherapy is similar to getting a 'shot' or injection ... but the 'drugs' are given 'intravenously' and they can cause many problems ... from hair loss to 'loss of appetite' and 'extremely low energy.'
Cancer has been around for as long as people have been alive ... but it was known by 'different names' in ancient times. Nowadays, it's 'easy' to find and 'treat' more cancers, and people are 'very close' to finding a 'cure' or a 'vaccine' to PREVENT many kinds of cancer.