Living With Cancer PDF
Preview Living With Cancer
LIVING with CANCER Also in the Teen’s Guides series Living with Anxiety Disorders Living with Asthma Living with Depression Living with Diabetes LIVING with CANCER ZoAnn Dreyer, M.D. Living with Cancer Copyright 2008 by ZoAnn Dreyer © All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing, Inc. 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dreyer, ZoAnn. Living with cancer / by ZoAnn Dreyer. p. cm. — (Teen’s guides) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6484-7 (hc : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8160-6484-9 (hc : alk. paper) 1. Cancer in adolescence—Juvenile literature. 2. Cancer—Juvenile literature. I. Title RC281.C4D74 2007 616.99'400835—dc22 2007010775 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can fi nd Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfi le.com Text design by Annie O’Donnell Cover design by Jooyoung An Printed in the United States of America Sheridan Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. CONTENTS ■ ■ 1 What Is Cancer? 1 ■ ■ 2 Causes of Cancer: What Do We Know? 11 ■ ■ 3 Your Genetic Blueprint: What Are Your Risks? 20 ■ ■ 4 Types of Cancer Most Common in Teens 27 ■ ■ 5 If You’ve Been Diagnosed 32 ■ ■ 6 Radiation Treatment: What to Expect 39 ■ ■ 7 Chemotherapy Treatment: What to Expect 52 ■ ■ 8 Preventing Cancer: How You Can Live a Healthy Life 65 ■ ■ 9 When Someone You Love Has Cancer 77 ■ ■ 10 Paying for Care 86 Appendix 1. National Organizations 94 Appendix 2. Headwear and Wig Mail-Order Options 155 Appendix 3. Cancer Centers 157 Appendix 4. Camps for Kids with Cancer 171 Glossary 188 Read More about It 192 Index 195 1 What Is Cancer? “My dad has leukemia,” 15-year-old Todd said to one of his dad’s doctors, “but I don’t know what that really means. My mom just cries and says she doesn’t want to talk about it. I know that cancer is bad, but I want to know if my dad is going to get better. I’m afraid he’s going to die, but no one will tell me how bad it is.” Overwhelmed by her husband’s illness and stricken by her fear of MMthe word cancer, Todd’s mom was ignoring her son’s healthy curios- ity, concern, and questions because she didn’t have the emotional strength left to cope. Yet Todd desperately needed information and support to help him understand his father’s illness. Fortunately, Todd’s dad was being treated at a cancer center with lots of caring professionals and support groups. When one of the doctors heard about Todd’s worries, he was quickly referred to one of the local can- cer support groups for teens. If someone close to you has been diagnosed with cancer—or you’ve been diagnosed yourself—you probably have lots of questions about what cancer is, what to expect, how it will be treated, and what the outlook may be. You also may wonder whether you’ll get cancer too. Of course, nobody has a crystal ball, but you may feel better to know that most cancers are not inherited. Your family doctor can talk to you specifi cally about any genetic risks in your family (more about that in chapter 3). Cancer is a general term for more than 100 different types of prob- lems. Each type of cancer has a special kind of treatment, unique problems, and general outlook. Some types of cancer, such as basal 1 2 Living with Cancer cell or squamous cell skin cancers, are very common and highly treat- able. Other types of cancer, such as lung or pancreatic cancer, are more diffi cult to treat. No matter what kind of cancer it is, all types begin in the body’s cells. Normally, millions of cells grow and divide in a very orderly way, replacing dying cells or repairing damage to the body. In a healthy person, cells are produced only when the body needs them, and then they die, but occasionally, things go awry. Sometimes, instead of developing normally, cells start dividing at a much faster rate in an uncontrolled way. Many of these cells clump together and form a mass of tissue called a tumor, which can be benign (noncan- cerous) or malignant (cancerous). If the tumor is malignant, it can destroy neighboring normal cells as it grows and damage the body’s healthy tissues. Doctors can tell whether a tumor is benign or malignant by check- ing a small number of cells under a microscope. (Some types of cancer, such as leukemia, don’t form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells enter the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues.) If the out-of-control cells are malignant, they will invade and dam- age nearby tissues and organs. As time goes on, tiny cancer cells can break away from the main malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system, spreading to distant sites. That is how cancer cells spread from the original tumor to form new tumors in other parts of the body. This way of spreading the cancer is called metastasis. Some tumors secrete substances that interfere with the body’s normal functions. As tumors grow, they develop networks of blood vessels and can rob the body of essential nutrients. Cancer can affect any part of the body, but the four most common types of cancers in the United States are lung, colon/rectum, breast, and prostate. These cancers account for more than half of all cancer cases in the United States each year. Cancers are classifi ed according to the kind of cells from which they develop. Most are called carci- nomas, which originate from the cells that form the top layer of the skin and some internal organs. Leukemias affect the blood and blood- forming organs such as bone marrow, the lymphatic system, and the spleen. Lymphomas affect the immune system. Any cancer that origi- nates in muscle cells or connective tissues is called a sarcoma. Cancer is largely a disease of older adults, although children can get a few types of cancer, including leukemia (cancer of the blood), bone cancer, and brain tumors. So why does one person get cancer and another one doesn’t? That can sometimes be hard to understand. Jim was devastated when his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, What Is Cancer? 3 Cancer Risk Factors The most common risk factors for cancer include: M age (the older you are, the higher the risk) M smoking M exposure to sunlight M exposure to certain chemicals M some viruses and bacteria M exposure to some hormones M family history of cancer M alcohol abuse M poor diet M lack of physical activity M obesity because she had never smoked a day in her life. Yet old Mr. Bridges who lived across the street had been smoking three packs a day for the past 45 years, and he was just fi ne. This can be confusing, but research does show that certain risk factors increase the chance that a person will develop cancer. STATISTICS: WHAT DO THEY REALLY MEAN? There’s no doubt about it—cancer is a scary word, but it’s not nearly as scary as it used to be. Today, people who have been diagnosed with the disease are living longer than ever before. In fact, since the 1950s, the overall survival rate has more than doubled! And month by month, scientists are discovering better ways to treat cancer. You’ll probably hear a lot of cancer statistics and numbers thrown around by doctors, on TV, and in newspapers or magazines. How use- ful those statistics are depends on how carefully they’re interpreted
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