Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS CANCER?
Cancer is not just one disease but rather a group of diseases. All forms of cancer cause cells in the body to change and grow out of control. Most types of cancer cells form a lump or mass called a tumor. The tumor can invade and destroy healthy tissue. Cells from the tumor can break away and travel to other parts of the body. There they can continue to grow. This spreading process is called metastasis. When cancer spreads, it is still named after the part of the body where it started. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the lungs, it is still breast cancer, not lung cancer.
Some cancers, such as blood cancers, do not form a tumor. Not all tumors are cancer. A tumor that is not cancer is called benign. Benign tumors do not grow and spread the way cancer does. They are usually not a threat to life. Another word for cancerous is malignant.
WHAT IS CHEMOTHERAPY?
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs or medications to treat disease. The word chemotherapy comes from two words, "Chemical" and "Treatment." The term is commonly used to refer to cancer treatment. Just as there are many antibiotics to treat infections, there are many different chemotherapies to treat different cancers. The chemotherapy drugs selected depend on the type of cancer being treated.
Chemotherapy may be used in a variety of ways. They include:
* Combination chemotherapy
* Combined modality treatment
* Adjuvant chemotherapy
* Single agent chemotherapy
Combined chemotherapy is the use of more than one drug in a treatment. Combined modality treatment is the use of chemotherapy with the addition of surgery and/or radiation therapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy is the use of chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells which may still be present after surgery. Single agent chemotherapy is the use of one chemotherapeutic agent.
Chemotherapy is given to stop the growth of cancer cells and to kill cancer cells. Several different routes may give it. It may be taken by mouth, injected into a muscle, or injected into a vein. The type of cancer and the drugs used determine the route by which the chemotherapy is given.
The side effects of treatment occur because the chemotherapy cannot tell the difference between cancer cells and healthy cells. Chemotherapy is targeted towards rapidly growing cells and, therefore, those areas of the body with rapid cell growth will be affected. These areas include bone marrow, bowel lining, reproductive system, and hair. Side effects are different for each person. Your nurse will discuss with you the side effects you are most likely to experience and how to manage them.
WHAT IS A CLINICAL TRIAL?
Studies of new treatments in patients are known as clinical trials. A clinical trial is only done when there is some reason to believe that the treatment being studied may be of value to the patient. The main questions the researchers want to answer are:
* Does this treatment work?
* Does it work better than the one we're now using?
* What side effects does it cause?
* Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
* Which patients are most likely to find this treatment helpful?
During your course of treatment, your doctor may suggest that you look into a clinical trial. This does not mean that you are being asked to be a human guinea pig. Nor does it mean that your case is hopeless. However, there are some risks. No one knows in advance if the treatment will work or exactly what side effects will occur. That's what the study is designed to find out. Keep in mind that standard treatments, too, can have side effects.