What is Cancer

Cancer is a disease of the body cells in which their functioning and reproduction is uncontrolled. When a cell turns cancerous or malignant, it will not work properly, and it divides rapidly to produce more cells. A collection of cancerous cells is called a tumor. These cells are able to break away and are carried in the blood to other parts of the body, where they continue to grow. Cancer can affect people of all ages, including fetuses, but the amount of risk increases with age. Cancer causes about 14% of the deaths all over the world. According a survey held in USA, 2.3 million people died of cancer in USA in 2007. Cancer can also affect all animals.

Usually, cells are replaced as they become old and inefficient. The development of these new cells is controlled so that the new cells are identical to the old ones. In cancer, so many abnormal cells are produced that they interfere with normal body functions and if untreated may cause very severe illness or death. The causes are not clear, but chemicals such as tar from cigarettes and many other substances are known to change normal cells into cancer cells. Cancer can be treated by surgery, or by very powerful DRUGS, or by radiation which damages the affected cells. Though people still die from cancer, many are surviving due to the improvement and success of modern treatments.

Some of the terms related to cancer are:

Carcinogen-A cancer causing substance. It attacks normal cells, and may eventually cause some of them to turn cancerous i.e. uncontrolled growth of cells.

Carcinoma-Cancer that starts to grow in tissue that forms the skin and lining of inner organs.

Sarcoma-Cancer that starts to grow in the tissue that forms the body’s supporting structures, such as the bones and the cartilage.

History of the Cancer

Cancer as described by the ancient Egyptians (3000 BC to 1500 BC)

Human cancer is probably as old as the human race. It is obvious that cancer did not suddenly start appearing after modernization or industrial revolution. The oldest known description of human cancer is found in an Egyptian seven papyri or writing written between 3000-1500 BC. Two of them, known as the "Edwin Smith" and "George Ebers" papyri, contain details of conditions that are consistent with modern descriptions of cancer. The Edwin Smith Papyrus, describes 8 cases of tumors or ulcers of the breast. The document acknowledged that there is no treatment for this condition and recommended cauterization (the fire drill) as a palliative measure. The ancient Egyptian medicine typically mixed medicine and religion. These physicians treated patients for several forms of cancer. Hieroglyphic inscriptions and papyri manuscripts suggest that these ancient physicians were able to distinguish between benign and malignant tumors. They suggested that the surface tumors may be removed surgically much similar to the current medical practice. Compounds of barley, pigs ear and other indigenous materials were suggested as treatment for cancer of the stomach and the uterus. Other commonly dispensed medications included ointments, enemas, castor oil, suppositories, poultices and animal parts.

Oldest specimens of cancer (1900 BC to 1500 BC)

The oldest available specimen of a human cancer is found in the remains of skull of a female who lived during the Bronze Age (1900-1600 BC) The tumor in the womens skull was suggestive of head and neck cancer. The mummified skeletal remains of Peruvian Incas, dating back 2400 years ago, contained abnormalities suggestive of involvement with malignant melanoma. Cancer was also found in fossilized bones recovered from ancient Egypt. Louis Leakey found the oldest possible hominid malignant tumor in 1932 from the remains of a body, which could be either that of Homo erectus or an Australopithecus. This tumor had features suggestive of a Burkitts lymphoma.

Origin of the word carcinoma

Hippocrates, the great Greek physician (460-370 B.C), who is considered the father of medicine is though to be the first person to clearly recognize difference between benign and malignant tumors. His writings include description of cancers involving various body sites. Hippocrates noticed that blood vessels around a malignant tumor looked like the claws of crab. He named the disease karkinos (the Greek name for crab) to describe tumors that may or may not progress to ulceration. In English this term translates to carcinos or carcinoma. Works of Hippocrates and Galen, another Greek physician have revolutionized the practice of medicine by removing it from grips of superstitions and magic, to the era of observation and logical reasoning.

Constantinople in the history of cancer

Later in the course of history, Constantinople became the intellectual headquarters of medicine. The ancient teachings of Hippocrates and Galen continued to influence the physicians in Constantinople, Cairo, Alexandria, and Athens. During this period the cause of cancer was explained as the result of an excess of black bile.

Renaissance period

During the Renaissance, beginning in the 15th century, physicians acquired greater knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the human body. This started an era, which has seen the advancement of surgery and development of rational therapies based on clinical observations. The theory that cancer is caused by excess of black bile continued to prevail through the 16th century. At this time cancer was considered incurable, however a variety of temporary measures were available including creams and pastes containing arsenic. Autopsies, performed by Harvey in the 17th century, gave an insight in to the circulation system. By about the same period Gaspare Aselli discovered the lymphatic system and this led to the end of the old theory of black bile as the cause of cancer. The new theory suggested that abnormalities in the lymph and lymphatic system as the primary cause of cancer. A French physician, Claude Gendron suggested that cancer arises locally as a hard, growing mass, untreatable with drugs, and must be removed with all its "filaments."

Eighteenth century to modern era

Jean Astruc and chemist Bernard, two 18th century physicians conducted research to confirm or disprove then current theories related to the origin of cancer. These efforts were the very first steps of experimental oncology. The art and science of seeking better diagnosis, treatments and understanding of the causes of cancer evolved from many who followed their path. In 1761, Giovanni Morgagni of Padua was the first to do an autopsy to look for the pathological findings in a patient after death. This and the efforts of many great physicians who followed them laid the foundation for scientific oncology, the study of cancer. John Hunter (1728-1793), a famous Scottish surgeon suggested that some cancers might be cured by surgery and described methods by which we can distinguish the surgically removable tumors. He suggested that, if tumor has not encroached to the nearby tissue and was still moveable, "There is no impropriety in removing it."

Discovery of anesthesia in 1844 by Wells allowed surgery to flourish and the classic cancer operations such as radical mastectomy were developed. The discovery of microscope by Leeuwenhoek in the late 17th century added momentum to the quest for the cause of cancer. By late19th century, with the development of better microscopes to study cancer tissues scientists gained more knowledge about the cancer process. These studies showed that cancer cells are markedly different in appearance compared to the surrounding normal cells from which they originated. Rudolf Virchow, who is often called the founder of cellular pathology, provided the scientific basis for the modern pathologic study of cancer and correlated the clinical course of illness with microscopic findings. This approach led to the development of modern cancer surgery. Tissues removed by the surgeons were examined under the microscope to make a precise diagnosis of cancer. By looking at the cut margin of surgery the pathologist were able to tell the surgeon if the cooperative procedure had completely removed the tumor.

The early 20th century saw great progress in our understanding of microscopic structure and functioning of the living cells. Researchers pursued different theories to the origin of cancer, subjecting their hypotheses to systematic research and experimentation. A virus causing cancer in chickens was identified in 1911. Existence of many chemical and physical carcinogens were conclusively identified during later part of the 20th century. Later part of the 20th century showed tremendous improvement in our understanding of the cellular mechanisms related to cell growth and division. Many factors that suppress and activate the cell growth and division were identified.

Childhood Cancers

Cancer can also occur in young children and adolescents, but it is rare (about 150 cases per million yearly in the US). Statistics from the SEER program of the US NCI demonstrate that childhood cancers increased 19% between 1975 and 1990, mainly due to an increased incidence in acute leukemia. Since 1990, incidence rates have decreased. The age of peak incidence of cancer in children occurs during the first year of life. Leukemia (usually ALL) is the most common infant malignancy (30%), followed by the central nervous system cancers and neuroblastoma. The remainder consists of Wilms' tumor, lymphomas, rhabdomyosarcoma (arising from muscle), retinoblastoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma. Teratoma is the most common tumor in this age group, but most teratomas are surgically removed while still benign, hence not necessarily cancer.Female and male infants have essentially the same overall cancer incidence rates, but white infants have substantially higher cancer rates than black infants for most cancer types. Relative survival for infants is very good for neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor and retinoblastoma, and fairly good (80%) for leukemia, but not for most other types of cancer.

Cancer Cures

It's unpredictable, it's uncanny. It may be lurking within a body and the body wouldn't know. Many a minor ache, quietly ignored and quickly discarded in the past, may be the begetter of that which is pernicious, lethal and detrimental to life. It shrouds itself in dubious obscurity till the time comes for it to reveal the first symptoms. All this while, the fatal cell stealthily multiplies and spreads. It disseminates its devastating influence till it aborts the very functional mechanism of the human body. Such is the effect of cancer.But thanks to the advances made today by clinical research, cancer cures and alternative cancer treatment are available. The choice of a particular alternative cancer treatment depends on the stage of the cancerous tumor. Traditional or conventional treatment options may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. These therapies have all been tested in clinical research trials and proven to be acceptable, safe and effective, although with often unpleasant side effects.

Depending on the type of the disease, these cancer cures are used alone or in combination, to either control cancer cell growth or to eliminate the disease entirely.

Cancer is not a single disease. It is a large and complex family of malignancies that can affect virtually every organ in the body. Cancer kills one out of every four Americans, surpassed only by heart disease as the leading cause of death in this country. Over 1.2 million new cases are diagnosed every year, with half of them occurring in the lung, prostate, breast, colon and rectum. Cancer can strike at any age, although it is most common in people over 50.

There are around 200 different types of cancer. Two in five people, at some point in their lives, are susceptible to it. Cancer is the term given to a large group of diseases that vary in type and location. It is the result of a continuous, abnormal and relatively autonomous cell proliferation, which is due to the permanent alteration of some cells that gets transmitted to the cell family. It is a disease caused by the loss of control over a cell's reproduction capacity. Rather than dividing in a controlled and programed manner, the cell continues to divide and multiply abnormally, until a detectable lump or tumor develops.

This new growth can be either benign or malignant. A benign tumor does not spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body and so are not cancerous. They can often be removed and are rarely a threat to life. A malignant tumor, however, can spread and is cancerous. When this tumor spreads, its malignant cells break off and travel through the blood lymph system to other parts of the body, resulting in a secondary tumor, or metastasis. The name given to the cancer, however, is reflective of the origination of the cancer. For example, if lung cancer spreads to the brain, the disease is still called metastatic lung cancer, not brain cancer.

Both external and internal factors cause cancer. Factors such as chemicals, radiation, viruses, hormones and inherited mutations may act together to start or further cancer. Ten or more years may pass between exposure and detectable cancer.

Anyone, from children to senior citizens can get this disease. What causes cancer in the first place, and how quickly the cells grow and spread, varies from person to person. While a large number of people with cancer overcome the disease and live fulfilled lives for many years, some succumb within a few months.

The journey with cancer is a long, stressful and strenuous one. The treatment procedure itself may be detrimental to the emotional well-being of the patient. This is where complementary and alternative therapies have stepped in to offer holistic treatment. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)—also referred to as integrative medicine—includes a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches and therapies. These therapies are used in an effort to prevent illness, reduce stress, prevent or reduce side effects and symptoms, and control or cure disease.

The terms "complementary" and "alternative" are often used interchangeably, when in fact they are two different therapies. Complementary therapies such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, art therapy, counseling, massage, meditation, etc. are therapies which are given alongside conventional cancer treatments. The former, however, does not replace the latter. They play a supportive role and are only used in addition to standard treatments. Some commonly used methods of complementary therapy include mind-body control interventions such as visualization or relaxation; manual healing, including acupressure and massage; homeopathy; vitamins or herbal products; and acupuncture. Alternative therapies, on the other hand, are used instead of conventional treatments. Electromagnetic therapy, essiac (a mixture of herbs), iscador (mistletoe extract) and gerson therapy are some examples of alternative treatments.

Conventional approaches to cancer treatment have generally been studied for safety and effectiveness through a rigorous scientific process. Less is known about the safety and effectiveness of complementary and alternative methods since many of them have not undergone rigorous evaluation. Some remedies, however, once considered unorthodox, are finding a place in cancer treatment—not as cures, but as complementary therapies that may help patients feel better and recover faster. Traditional therapies such as ayurveda have also been known to cure cancer.

Though many of these therapies are still under evaluation, most have supporters who believe that they have added a positive aspect to their treatment and care, cope better with the physical symptoms and side effects of standard treatment, as well as with the complex and often distressing emotions that cancer can bring.