Cancer.
It affects millions in the United States and countless millions world as a whole.
Here are the statistics provided by the American Cancer Society:
- In 2017, there were around 836,000 new cancer cases in men. 51,000 were where the man was under the age of 45.
- In 2017, there were 850,000 new cancer cases in women. 89,000 were where the woman was under the age of 45.
- In 2017, there were 252,000 news breast cancer cases in women. 26,000 of those cases where the woman was under the age of 25.
It is often a life-threatening diagnosis for millions of men and women.
Fortunately, if only just so, treatments for cancer have advanced since the first case appeared. The National Cancer Institute lists several on its website: Here are the top three.
Surgery
Surgery is often used first in the treatment of cancer. It involves the use of medical instruments such as scalpels to remove the cancer affected bone and tissue from the body. Surgery can be relatively short in duration or last for hours depending on how complicated the procedure is and how much of the body has been affected by cancer.
Often, tests will be done prior to surgery. These can include x-rays, cardiograms, blood tests, and more. Often, the surgeon will work with you to decide if there’s a particular method by which you want the surgery. Often, surgeries can be minimally invasive, assuming the job can be completed with adequacy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a type of cancer therapy that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells, which divide and grow quickly. Chemotherapy can also be used to cure cancer or lessen the chance that it will return.
The drugs involved in chemotherapy often are administered orally (through a tablet or capsule), intravenously, as in the case of an IV in the arm, or through injection, in which a doctor administers the drug through a syringe into the body of the patient.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses radiation administered in high dosages to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. Radiation therapy works by damaging the cancer cells to the point where it alters their DNA. This slows or stops the growth of the cancer. It takes weeks or days for the cancer to be damaged to the point where they will die.
And over time, even though the treatment has ended, the cancer cells will continue to die in the patient’s body.
Then there is Proton Therapy
Proton therapy for cancer is part of the group of advanced cancer treatment options. It is radiation therapy but with a specific component: Proton therapy stops at a very specific point in the cancer affected tissue. Traditional radiation therapy moves beyond the cancer affect tissue into healthy tissue, causing damage to cells.
Proton treatment has been effective, specifically in treating prostrate cancer, and has grown in use. As of 2015, there were 30 proton radiation therapy centers that specialized in proton beam radiation.
Some are looking for a breast cancer cure. Because proton therapy is targeted, it is better than other forms of radiation treatment and leaves healthy areas of the breast intact. It is possible that proton beam therapy can lead to a breast cancer cure; the more money is put into finding a breast cancer cure, the quicker it will happen.
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