Cancer is the second leading killer disease in the world after cardiovascular diseases. One in six people that die globally is as a result of cancer with most of these deaths happening in the low and middle-level income countries. Cancer is a group of diseases that involve abnormal growth of cells with the potential to invade other body parts (World Health Organization, 2018). There are different types of cancer which include skin cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma (Sebastian, Ninan, & Elias, 2014). Symptoms of this great group of diseases vary depending on the type of cancer and its grade in question (Davis, 2018). Since when cancer was first discovered, the condition has never had a single way of treatment and the treatment methods evolve with its evolution. This paper critically analyses how cancer studies and therapies have been developed through the years.
Background of Cancer Treatment
The word cancer was derived from the Greek word karkinos, which physician Hippocrates used to describe carcinoma tumors (The American Cancer Society, 2018). Some of the earliest traces of bone cancer were found in mummies in ancient Egypt and the manuscripts date around 1600BC. However, the world’s first recorded case of breast cancer was in ancient Egypt in 1500BC (Williams, 2015). There was no recorded treatment, but the surface tumors were surgically removed as they were believed to be the causers of cancer. Galen in the 2nd Century AD disagreed with surgery as a treatment method since tumor removal did not prevent spread of malignant cells and recommended purgatives (Williams, 2015). were general beliefs about causes of different types of cancers. There were general beliefs about causes of different types of cancers. For example, milk clot and acidic lymph fluid were believed to be the cause of breast cancer and tobacco snuff was thought to cause nose cancer (Yalom, 1997). In the18th Century it was discovered that cancer poison spread from the primary tumor to other sites Cancer according to Squire (2016), is a large family of diseases that involve the abnormal growth of cells with the potential to spread to other body organs. The cells grow abnormally to form tumors that create lumps. These tumors can be distributed diffusely. The cell growth and division happens in the absence of proper signals (Squire, 2016). The growth continues even when giving contrary messages. The cells do not undergo the programmed cell death. They have a limitless number of cell division. They invade tissues and form metastases (Khan Academy, 2018). Most of the cancer results from genetic mutation of cells from environmental factors. Examples of these environmental factors include pollution, lifestyle, and behavioral factors (The American Cancer Society, 2014).
Cancer therapies
The advancement in medical technology as well as increased funding of cancer research has led to the advancement in the cancer treatment methods. Some of the therapies that have been developed to deal with cancer include surgery which is a traditional method but has been improved through further medical research. It entails a surgical procedure where the surgeon removes the cancer growth from the patient’s body (Squire, 2016). However, it is not applicable alone but in conjunction with other therapies. Radiation therapy is another therapy that uses rays of radiation to kill cancer cells as well as reduce tumors (Sebastian, Ninan, & Elias, 2014). In most cases, it is used in addition to surgery or chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a therapy that uses a variety of drugs that kill the cells that divide rapidly. The aim is to curtail the growth and spread of the virus. Targeted therapy targets specific molecular differences between cancer and normal cells (Becker, 2012). Immunotherapy is a type of therapy that empowers the patient immune system to fight cancer cells. It includes the use of antibodies, adoptive cell transfer as well as checkpoint therapy. Laser therapy uses high-intensity light that penetrates the skin to damage the tumors as well as cancer cells. According to Sebastian, Ninan, & Elias, (2014), it is most common for superficial cancers that are on the body surface.Traditionally, cancer has been known as an illness with no cure and therefore when one was diagnosed with cancer, it sounded like a death sentence. Stress and anxiety and a feeling of sadness and depression affected most patients knowing that it is just a matter of time for them to die. Since the causes were not as clear, there was a limited feeling of anger and guilt (Sebastian, Ninan, & Elias, 2014). With the advancement in technology, cancer can be cured but only if diagnosed in the initial stages. This presents current patients with fear and uncertainty as they wait for their fate during the treatment process. It therefore calls for patient and endurance as the due processes are followed to make sure that the situation is controlled accordingly. Negative emotions could make a patient give up on the treatment process or not follow the process well which could worsen their conditions. Positive emotions encourage the patient to seek the right treatment which increases their chances of surviving (Sebastian, et al., 2014). Surgery and chemotherapy are some of the traditional methods that were used to deal with cancer. Traditionally, surgeons used to cut off the tumors that were on the body surface (Williams, 2015). Through innovation, doctors use surgery to reduce the size of the tumor so that other therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation could be more effective. Chemotherapy has been in use to treat cancer since the disease was discovered (Becker, 2012). However, technological advancement has seen the establishment of chemotherapy drugs that can distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. Cancer is and remains a severe disease to handle, partly because of the treatment process or even the cost. With the advancement in technology, various ways and techniques are emerging on how to treat cancer disease at different stages of development. The current technology has been able to cure cancer in its initial stages but it is still challenging to cure the disease while in later stages. The most important thing is to encourage people to have regular checkups so that in case of occurrence of cancer virus, it is detected in its early stages and controlled. With the current technological innovations, there is hope that ways and means of dealing with the disease will be invented that will make the disease curable and thus reduce the emotional distress that comes with cancer. Nevertheless, research is still necessary as it will enable discovery of even better ways of controlling the situation.