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Cancer and its treatment options
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Brain Cancer: The Cause and Effects
Genetic diseases have been around for centuries yet, scientists have only started researching these hereditary and genetic nightmares in the past 100 years(Freedman 2). They vary from hemophilia to yellow nail syndrome and, have different causes, effects, and treatments for each. Cancer is a recently discovered genetic disease that has affected millions of people around the world. A particularly deadly type of cancer is brain cancer, this mutation can have dangerous effects on a human’s mind and body. This disease can happen to anyone regardless of age or ethnicity brain cancer can occur in anyone. In 2013, approximately 4,300 children younger than age 20 will be diagnosed with primary brain tumors, of which 3,050 will be under age 15(citation). It can affect people physically and mentally and, not all types of brain cancer are the same. The causes, effects, and treatment of brain cancer can take their toll on a human’s mind and body.
One cause of brain cancer is a genetic mutation in a human’s DNA. Like all cancers, brain cancer is caused by a lump of cells called a tumor (Freedman 3). These tumors are caused by a mutation in a cell’s DNA that causes it to reproduced at an increased rate (Freedman 3). As the cells reproduce faster than they die it forms a clump of cells, or a tumor, which ultimately leads to cancer(Freedman 3). If the tumor goes undetected for a prolonged period of time it can spread to other parts of the brain and the body (Freedman 4). Therefore, one of the causes of brain cancer is a tumor located in any part of the brain. Next, other cancers can be caused by unhealthy habits such as smoking or drinking, brain canc...
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...are used to kill cancer cells(citation). Also, if a tumor has not infected anything vital it can be removed through brain surgery(citation). There are also medical prescriptions that are used to eliminate certain symptoms(citation). This genetic disease affects millions everyday, they are people’s family, neighbors, and friends and without a voice this illness will go without a complete cure. in conclusion, brain cancer and it’s treatments have a physical and mental causes and effects on the human body.
Works Cited
Freedman, Jeri. Brain Cancer: Current and Emerging Trends in Detection and Treatment. New York: Rosen, 2009. Print.
Ehrlich, Steven D. "Brain Cancer." University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., 6 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
"Brain Tumor Statistic." Brain Tumor Symptoms, Treatment, Support, Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014
Popular beliefs and opinions of the masses in society often become societal norms. Challenges to these societal norms can cause large-scale societal shifts or transitions. Examples of such occurrences include woman’s suffrage, the occupy movement, and falsified racial stereotyping. However, popular opinions, influenced by media, corporations, and members of the community, are sometimes flawed. “Welcome to Cancerland,” written by Barbara Ehrenreich, and “Beautiful Brains,” written by David Dobbs share a similar purpose of debunking common myths and stereotypes of specific social groups. Ehrenreich’s essay states that corporations and community members are popularizing the celebration of the “breast cancer sisterhood,” while stemming the drive
Glioblastomas (GBM) are tumors that arise from the supportive tissues of the brain. These supportive tissues are composed of astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells that play a very important role in neural functioning. Glioblastomas are highly malignant because astrocytes reproduce quickly and are supported by a large network of blood vessels. Although they are generally found in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain, glioblastomas can be found anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. The tumors come from normal brain cells, so it is easy for them to invade and live within normal brain tissue. However, glioblastoma rarely spreads elsewhere in the body. (1)
Brain metastases are a common complication of cancer. The incidence of brain metastases is increasing worldwide [2]. About 160,000 to 170,000 of new cases occur per year in the United States. The most frequent types of cancers that tend to develop brain metastases are lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma, which account for 67%-80% of all cancers [3]. The most recent population-based study was conducted by Barnholtz-Sloan et al. [4] who used the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System and found the incidence percentage of brain metastases to be 9.6% between 1973 and 2001. Overall, population-based studies show incidence rates of brain metastases ranging from 8.3 to 14.3 per 100,000 population and 8.5-9.6...
Nordqvist, C. (2009, March 19). What is Dementia? What Causes Dementia? Symptoms of Dementia. Medical News Today. Retrieved June 16, 2010, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142214.php
The cancer cells from gene-mutation. Scientists now know some of the risk factors for lung cancer can cause certain changes in the DNA of lung cells. These changes can lead to not normal cell growth and, sometimes, cancer. DNA is the chemical in each of our cells that makes up our genes and how our cells function. People usually look like their parents because they are the source of our DNA. But DNA affects more than how we look; it also can affect our risk for developing certain diseases, including some kinds of cancer like lung cancer etc…Some people inherit DNA mutation from their parents that greatly increase their risk for developing certain cancers.
I was a child when my aunt got sick, and my fascination about the field of medicine began. She had brain cancer. While I watched the disease progress I was flooded, not only with sadness and grief, but with questions. With two psychologists for parents I had a lot of support and understanding of my feelings, but I was left curious about the medical aspect of the disease and why there was no cure. The notion that the brain could change someone’s entire personality and physical function was amazing to me. Spending a lot of time in hospitals, I observed so much about the impact of a cancer diagnosis on patients and their families, and about what happens to people through the disease process. I noticed the enormous influence that the medical professional’s
Walton, Sir John. Brain’s Diseases of the Nervous System. 9th ed. Oxford University Press. Oxford: 1985.
Ed. Steven Dowshen. The Nemours Foundation, 01 Aug. 2013. Web. The Web.
According to SEER Statistics, 23,380 people are estimated to get a brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis. Out of those people, 14,320 people are estimated to die from their brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis (National Cancer Institute). Cancer is a type of dangerous tumor, or a buildup of extra cells that form a mass of tissue, that can be life threatening (National Cancer Institute). The term for a tumor that is cancerous is a malignat tumor, whereas a benign tumor does not contain cancer cells (National Cancer Institute). According to the National Cancer Institute, the causes of brain cancer are unknown, but risk factors include family history and excessive radiaton exposure. Although they are not always due to a brain tumor, comon symptoms include headaches, nausea, speech, hearing, vision, and mood changes, problems with balance and mamories, seizures, and numbness in arms and legs (National Cancer Institute). MRI and CT scans as well as surgical biposies (or the removal of part of the tumor to be examined) are used to diagnose brain cancer (National Cancer Institute). Different types of treatment options include radiation therapy, surgery to remove the tumor, and chemotherapy. According to Charles Davis, MD, PhD and Nitin Tandon, MD of WebMD.com, chemotherapy is “ the use of powerful drugs to kill tumor cells”. There are a few different types of chemotherapy, but all of which bring out the same kinds of side effects. Although the physical side effects of chemotherapy are commonly known, few people know of the emotional toll chemotherapy can take on a patient and his or her family as they go though this process.
The American Cancer Society publishes current advances made in cancer research on their website. Many of the exciting discoveries about how best to treat the disease focus on the genetic aspects associated with certain types of cancer. In addition, treatments aimed at genetic solutions to cancer may be more effective and may cause fewer adverse side effects than traditional cancer treatments (American Can...
Epidemiologists had identified many important causes of cancer by the early of 1980s. Many types of cancer vary in incidence by more than an order of magnitude between different populations and every type is rare in some part of the world. Many specific causes cancer are now known, the most common are by smoking, obesity and a few oncogenic viruses, but a large proportion of global variation for common cancers such as breast, prostate, colon and rectum remains unexplained (Peto J. , 2001). According to Richard Doll and Richard Peto, pollution accounts for 2% of all cancer cases and geophysical factors account for another 3% while 80% to 90% of cancers are caused by “environmental factors”. Environmental factors are the non-genetic factors which are smoking, diet, occupational exposure to chemicals and geophysical factors (naturally occurring radiation, man-made radiation, medical drugs and radiation and pollution.
Cancer is a major public health problem in many parts of the world. Over ten million new cases of cancer, with over six million deaths were estimated in the year 2000 (Parkin, 2001). The estimated numbers of incidence and mortality in 2002 were markedly increased as 10.9 million new cases, 6.7 million deaths with cancer (Parkin et al., 2005). Even developed countries suffering from cancer, in USA it was expected 2677860 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2009. In that same year , more than 562,340 deaths will occur due to cancer, this number represent 25 % of all deaths and makes cancer as a second leading cause of death after heart diseases (Jemal et al.
It is a known fact that approximately 8% of all strokes occurring worldwide, are caused by the rupturing of brain aneurysms. Those are the unlucky people, fortunately, about 94% of all brain aneurysms do not rupture at all, and people are able to live their lives normally, just of course being careful not to do anything to severely damage their head (Nisacara). The “brain” is the control center for your body. Your brain receives messages from your body. It also sends messages to other parts of your body” (DeGezelle).
Obstructions such as tumors can interrupt normal brain activity, leading to deficits of normal reasoning, motor control, or consciousness. Many of the signs of neural damage are easily recognizable by an outside observer, but since the actual cause of these problems are internal, the symptoms can be vague. The real deficits can affect the brain’s anatomy, or the way signals are processed. A physician can only determine the real cause by examining the brain internally to find irregularities, either in structure or in functioning.
Over the past few decades, cancer has become a very prominent disease. There are many different types of cancer and many different causes of the the disease. Most cancers are caused by a genetic mutation. The most common type occurs when a cell is divided. Proto-oncogenes, which are alleles in normal cells, mutate to form oncogenes.