alt.support.cancer -
Frequently Asked Questions
Part 1
Table of
Contents
What are the risk factors
associated with cancer?
How are the various cancers
named?
Cancer terminology: the
language of cancer
Classifying cancer by type
of tissue
Classifying cancer by type
of cell
Classifying by site of the
tumor's origin
Naming of benign or
malignant tumors
What primary categories are
cancers commonly grouped into?
Where can I find more
information about cancer?
Where can I find cancer
educational information?
What web sites exist to
teach children about cancer?
Are there interactive sites
that explain cancer?
Where can I find cancer
statistics?
What are the chances of
developing cancer?
What can I do to reduce the
risk of cancer?
Are there any good cancer
diet programs online?
Are there guidelines on
nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention?
Recommendations for
individual choices
What factors affect risk for
the most common cancers?
What other dietary factors
affect cancer risk?
Are there any
cancer-fighting foods?
Will eating certain foods
help reduce my chances of getting cancer?
Why can't I just get the
nutrients I need from supplements?
If I do get cancer, can any
foods help treat or cure it?
What can I do to improve my
health care?
Should I have periodic
health exams?
What screening tests should
I have?
What are the symptoms of
cancer?
If I have a symptom listed
above, does that mean I have cancer?
I have a cancer symptom,
what should I do?
Should I wait until I feel
pain before seeing a doctor?
What self-exams can I perform
to aid in early detection of cancer
What can I do to help in
early detection?
What is involved in
screening and testing for cancer?
How do I interpret my lab
results?
What should be done to
prepare for meeting with my doctor?
What does cancer stage and
grade mean?
Is stage and grade the same
thing?
What is the best treatment
for my cancer?
What are my treatment
options?
What else is important to
know about treatments?
Are there any tools to help
me with the treatment decision?
What do I need to know to
make an informed treatment decision?
What questions should be
asked before deciding on a treatment?
How would you change this to
help a patient who has two or more treatments to consider?
What general questions
should you ask your doctor?
What should you ask your
medical oncologist about chemotherapy?
What should you ask your
doctor about surgery?
What should you ask about a
clinical trial?
What questions should be
asked of the surgeon?
What questions should be
asked by patients with colon and rectal cancer?
What questions should patients
with brain cancer ask their physician?
What questions should
patients with breast cancer ask their physician?
What questions should
patients with common gynecologic cancers ask their physician?
What questions should
patients with kidney cancer ask their doctor?
What questions should
patients with multiple myeloma ask their physician?
What questions should
patients with prostate cancer ask their physician?
What questions should you ask
the oncologist?
What is the purpose behind
questions to the doctor?
What rights does a patient
have?
What are the patients
responsibilities?
How can I choose the right
cancer doctor?
Where can I get general help
finding a doctor, surgeon, or hospital?
Where can I find cancer centers
listed by state?
What professional medical
associations will help locating centers or doctors?
Where can I find hospitals
or physicians worldwide?
Where can I find research
about correlation of high volume colon cancer surgery and patient outcome?
Where can I find information
about surgery volume by hospital or doctor?
How can I locate a colorectal
surgeon?
How can I find a breast
cancer specialist?
Where can I find information
about doctors and hospitals in my state?
How can I get a second
opinion?
Where can I get an outside
consultation?
How can I get travel
assistance for treatment?
What about reduced airfares
for cancer patient treatment?
Do corporations help cancer
patients travel free for treatment?
What can I do if I do not
qualify to travel free?
Where can I find local
transportation from the airport to the treatment center?
Where can I find lodging
near the treatment center for my family?
Will a nonprofit
organization help if I can't afford lodging?
Who can help me find free or
low cost travel and lodging for care?
Where can lymphoma patients
get financial assistance?
How do people without
medical coverage get treatment for breast cancer?
What about people without
medical coverage that have other cancers?
Where can I get financial
assistance for cancer care?
Who can help with questions
about family or medical leave?
How can I cut costs for
nonprescription items?
What is the impact of having
cancer?
How should we deal with the
stigma of cancer?
What are the ranges of
emotion that normally accompany a diagnosis of cancer?
Is depression a problem for
cancer patients?
I am a caregiver for a
cancer patient, what should I know to be most effective?
Where can I find other
cancer patient support organizations?
I am worried that there will
be a relapse, what should I do?
I feel alone with no one to
talk to, what should I do?
I am suffering with a lot of
pain, what should I do?
Is it possible to have
cancer and a healthy sex life?
I have some breathing
difficulty, how can I improve my sleep?
What can I do to get a good
night's sleep?
I tried the sleep
suggestions, no help, what is the problem?
How to deal with children's
nightmares?
When can I consider myself
cured?
What is the prognosis for my
cancer?
What is the prognosis for
colorectal cancer?
What is the doctors role in
delivering bad news?
Could chemo shrink enough of
the tumor, so it becomes operable?
What should I do if my
cancer is incurable?
Will chemotherapy extend
survival?
What is combination
chemotherapy?
Are there cancer drugs other
than chemo?
Disclaimer: this FAQ is provided for educational purposes only. It cannot be used for diagnosing or treating a disease. If you have or suspect you may have cancer, you should consult your doctor. The external links in this FAQ are provided for the convenience of alt.support.cancer newsgroup visitors. The alt.support.cancer newsgroup has no interest in, responsibility for, or control over the linked sites and no responsibility is accepted for information on any linked page, please read the linked provider's own disclaimer where appropriate. The alt.support.cancer newsgroup makes no promises or warranties of any kind, express or implied, including those of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, as to the content of any linked site. In no event shall the alt.support.cancer newsgroup be liable for any damages resulting from use of these links.
What is cancer?
|
Cancer
is a collection of more than 200 diseases, all of which share one common trait:
the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. There are several kinds
of cancer, including:
· Carcinomas form in cells that cover the skin or line the mouth, throat, lungs and organs
· Sarcomas are found in the bones, muscles, fibrous tissues and some organs
· Leukemias arise from white blood cells in the blood or bone marrow
· Lymphomas originate in the lymphocyte cells (white blood cells that help fight infection) found in the blood, spleen and lymph nodes
What causes cancer?
|
The
more we can learn about what causes cancer, the more likely we are to find ways
to prevent it. In the laboratory, scientists explore possible causes of cancer
and try to determine exactly what happens in cells when they become cancerous.
Researchers also study patterns of cancer in the population to look for risk
factors, conditions that increase the chance that cancer might occur. They also
look for protective factors, things that decrease the risk.
Even
though doctors can seldom explain why one person gets cancer and another does
not, it is clear that cancer is not caused by an injury, such as a bump or
bruise. In addition, although being infected with certain viruses may increase
the risk of some types of cancer, cancer is not contagious; no one can
"catch" cancer from another person.
Cancer
develops over time. It is a result of a complex mix of factors related to
lifestyle, heredity, and environment. A number of factors that increase a
person's chance of developing cancer have been identified. Many types of cancer
are related to the use of tobacco, what people eat and drink, exposure to
ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, and, to a lesser extent, exposure to
cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) in the environment and the workplace. Some
people are more sensitive than others are to factors that can cause cancer.
Still,
most people who get cancer have none of the known risk factors. In addition,
most people who do have risk factors do not get the disease.
Some
cancer risk factors can be avoided. Others, such as inherited factors, are
unavoidable, but it may be helpful to be aware of them. People can help protect
themselves by avoiding known risk factors whenever possible.
What are the risk factors
associated with cancer?
|
· Tobacco
· Diet
· Ultraviolet radiation
· Alcohol
· Ionizing radiation
· Chemicals and other substances
· Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
· Diethylstilbestrol (DES)
· Close relatives with certain types of cancer
How are the various
cancers named?
|
Medical
professionals frequently refer to cancers based on their histological type.
However, the public is more familiar with cancer names based on their primary
sites. The most common sites in which cancer develops include the skin, lungs,
female breasts, prostate, colon and rectum, cervix and uterus.
Compared
with those based on histological type, cancers named after the primary site may
not be as accurate. Take lung cancer for example; the name does not specify the
type of tissue involved. It simply indicates where the cancer is located. In
fact, depending on how the cells look under a microscope, there are two major
types of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer.
Non-small cell lung cancer can be further divided into various types named for
the type of cells in which the cancer develops, typically: squamous cell
carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma.
However,
it's important to know that cancer can be classified by either the cell type or
its primary site. Saying that a woman has uterine carcinoma or uterine cancer
is the same thing as saying that she has cancer (or carcinoma) of the uterus.
How are breast cancers
named?
|
The
first determination for naming is whether the breast cancer is "in
situ" or "invasive". In situ cancers remain within the
boundaries of the kind of cells that formed them. In situ means in place
staying where it belongs and not spreading. For this reason in situ cancers are
sometimes called precancerous, meaning they may develop into invasive cancers
later. About 20-40% of in situ cancers will do this if not removed. Currently,
about 12% of detected breast cancers are in situ. This percentage is increasing
because breast cancers found on mammograms are often in situ. The other breast
cancers are all invasive cancers. Invasive cancers have broken out of the
boundaries of the group of cells they came from and are invading or growing
into the nearby breast tissue.
The second
part of the name tells something about that particular kind of cancer. Some
breast cancers get their names from the cells of the breast that turned into
cancer. If the cancer arises from the cells of the tubes or ducts that normally
carry milk to the nipple, it is called "ductal" or from the ducts.
Eighty percent of breast cancers are ductal. If a cancer arises from the part
of the breast that produces milk, it is called a lobular cancer.
"Lobular" refers to lobes, or the milk producing structures. Ten
percent of breast cancers are lobular. Another cancer type is inflammatory
breast cancer (3%), which causes the breast to look like it has an infection.
The names of other uncommon forms describe what the pathologist sees when s/he
looks at the cancer under the microscope. For example, tubular breast cancer
forms tube-like structures, medullary breast cancer has the color of the part
of the brain called the medulla, mucinous cancers contain mucus-like material,
and papillary cancer has finger-like projections.
Cancer terminology: the
language of cancer
|
The
ways in which cancers are named can convey a good deal of information about
them. However, their designations often have to be "decoded." As is
generally the case with medical terms, the "language" of cancer is
made up of compound words that contain a root, a prefix, and a suffix; the
common ones can be found here.
Specific
cancers may be named in multiple ways. One of the ways is to describe the
tissue type involved, cell type involved, or site of origin. Cancers are also
classified as to whether they are benign or malignant and by their clinical
stage.
Classifying cancer by type
of tissue
|
Carcinoma
A
neoplasm (literally "new growth"-that is, a cancer or tumor)
occurring in the epithelial cells that line organs and cover the surface of the
body (~ 90% of all cancers fit into this category)
Sarcoma
A
solid tumor occurring in connective tissue, muscle, and bone (~ 2% of all
cancers)
Leukemia
or lymphoma
A
neoplasm occurring in the circulatory (leukemia) or lymphatic (lymphoma)
systems (~ 8% of all cancers)
The
embryonic origin of these tissues led to these categories:
· ectoderm (outer layer of cells), from which the skin and nervous system are derived, is the usual source of a carcinoma
· mesoderm (middle layer of cells), from which bone, muscle, and blood are derived, is the usual source of a sarcoma, leukemia, or lymphoma
· endoderm (inner layer of cells), from which the lining of internal organs is derived, may also be the source of a carcinoma
Connection
to the embryonic nature of some tumors has led to two cancer-related terms:
Blastoma
("immature tumor")
A
neoplasm that resembles embryonic tissue
Teratoma
A
neoplasm that arose in tissues derived from all three embryonic germ layers
(ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm)
Classifying cancer by type
of cell
|
Tumors
may be identified by the type of cell within a tissue or organ that has
transformed into a cancer:
· Adenomatous cells-ductal or glandular cells
· Squamous cells-flat cells
· Myeloid-blood cell
· Lymphoid-lymphocytes or macrophages
Classifying by site of the
tumor's origin
|
The
name of a cancer may first designate the site in the body where the neoplasm
originated and then indicate the type of tissue in which it has occurred, the
cell type, and/or the founder's name, or some combination of these terms. The
following are some examples:
· Breast-breast carcinoma of ductal, medullary, papillary, etc, cells
· Bone-osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma
· Eye-retinoblastoma
· Lip, tongue, mouth, nasal cavity-squamous cell carcinoma
· Lymphocytes-acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma
· Prostate-adenocarcinoma
· Ovary-adenocarcinoma, choriocarcinoma, teratoma, Brenner tumor
Naming of benign or
malignant tumors
|
Benign
tumors are not cancer. They can often be removed and, in most cases, they do
not come back. Cells from benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the
body. Most important, benign tumors are rarely a threat to life.
Benign
tumors:
· are generally slow growing and enclosed in a fibrous capsule
· are generally considered innocuous, although their location can make them serious, such as a tumor located in the brain, where removal by surgery poses serious risks
· are not considered cancerous (that is, they are not malignant)
· are given names that usually end in "oma" (Latin origin, indicates a swelling)(although a melanoma is a malignant skin cancer)
Malignant
tumors are cancer. Cells in these tumors are abnormal and divide without
control or order. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs.
Malignant
tumors:
· proliferate rapidly, invading neighboring tissues
· can metastasize, or spread, to other sites of the body
· are named using the conventions of tissue, cell type, and origin
A
tumor of the bone is an osteoma if benign and an osteosarcoma if malignant; a
tumor of nerve cells may be a ganglioneuroma if benign and a neuroblastoma if
malignant; a tumor of melanocytes are nevi if benign but a melanoma if
malignant.
Finally,
some neoplasms are named after the physician who first described them. These
designations may not convey as much information as other naming conventions do;
for example, Wilm's tumor, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Kaposi's sarcoma.
What primary categories
are cancers commonly grouped into?
|
Most
Common Cancers:
· Bladder Cancer
· Breast Cancer
· Colon Cancer
· Endometrial Cancer
· Head & Neck Cancer
· Leukemia
· Lung Cancer
· Melanoma
· Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
· Ovarian Cancer
· Prostate Cancer
· Rectal Cancer
Childhood
Cancers:
· Brain Stem Glioma
· Cerebellar Astrocytoma
· Cerebral Astrocytoma
· Ependymoma
· Ewing's Sarcoma/Family of Tumors
· Germ Cell Tumor, Extracranial
· Hodgkin\'s Disease
· Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic
· Leukemia, Acute Myeloid
· Liver Cancer
· Medulloblastoma
· Neuroblastoma
· Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
· Osteosarcoma/Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of Bone
· Retinoblastoma
· Rhabdomyosarcoma
· Soft Tissue Sarcoma
· Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal and Pineal Tumors
· Unusual Childhood Cancers
· Visual Pathway and Hypothalamic Glioma
· Wilm's Tumor and Other Childhood Kidney Tumors
Less
Common Cancers:
· Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
· Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia
· Adult non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
· Brain Tumor
· Cervical Cancer
· Childhood Cancers
· Childhood Sarcoma
· Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
· Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
· Esophageal Cancer
· Hairy Cell Leukemia
· Kidney Cancer
· Liver Cancer
· Multiple Myeloma
· Neuroblastoma
· Oral Cancer
· Pancreatic Cancer
· Primary central nervous system lymphoma
· Skin Cancer
· Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Body
Location/System:
· AIDS-Related
· Bone
· Brain
· Breast
· Digestive/Gastrointestinal
· Endocrine
· Eye
· Genitourinary
· Germ Cell
· Gynecologic
· Head and Neck
· Hematologic/Blood
· Leukemia
· Lung
· Lymphoma
· Musculoskeletal
· Neurologic
· Pregnancy and Cancer
· Respiratory/Thoracic
· Skin
· Unknown Primary
Where can I find more
information about cancer?
|
Look
in the Links section of the FAQ. It contains many references listed in
categories that make it easy to find what you are looking for.
The
ACS site is a good place to start: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp?level=0
Where can I find cancer
educational information?
|
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/subjectindex.asp?N1=5&N2=19 This is an excellent site for cancer
education.
What web sites exist to
teach children about cancer?
|
The
Adventures of Captain Chemo at http://www.royalmarsden.org/captchemo/index.asp were created by Ben de Garis who died in
July 1999, aged 18, having had treatment at The Royal Marsden Hospital since he
was 13. Captain Chemo is based at the Royal Marsden web site and is primarily
geared towards helping children and families/friends understand childhood
cancer.
Are there interactive
sites that explain cancer?
|
http://www.principalhealthnews.com/topic/cancerguide/ Cools Tools, By Deepi Brar Consumer Health
Interactive
Where can I find cancer
statistics?
|
Look
in the recommended links section of the FAQ for links to some statistics.
What are the chances of
developing cancer?
|
Your
Cancer Risk at http://www.yourcancerrisk.harvard.edu/ estimates your risk of cancer and provides
personalized tips for prevention. It doesn't tell you if you'll get cancer or
not. Anyone can use Your Cancer Risk, but it's most accurate for people age 40
and over who have never had any type of cancer. It includes the most common
types of cancer.
Guidelines
for Detection, Prevention, and Risk of Cancer can be found at http://www.nccn.org/physician_gls/f_guidelines.html for the following cancers:
· Breast Cancer Risk Reduction
· Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnosis
· Cervical Cancer Screening
· Colorectal Cancer Screening
· Genetic/Familial High Risk Screening
· Prostate Cancer Early Detection
Skin
cancer http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/index.php and http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/clinical/skin3.html
http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/patients/riskred6.html Cancer Risk Reduction, Smoking and Cancer
http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/research/prevent4.html Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Research
Program
http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/research/prevent.html Cancer Prevention and Etiology
Cancer
Prevention and early detection http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/ped_1.asp
Smoking
cessation http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/risk/quitsmok.html Quitting Smoking
What can I do to reduce
the risk of cancer?
|
The
American Cancer Society's seven dietary guidelines for reducing the risk of
cancer are:
1.
Cut down on
total fat.
2.
Cut down on
salt-cured, smoked and nitrate-cured foods.
3.
Eat more
high-fiber food.
4. Include foods rich in vitamins A and C in your daily diet.