Educational Services
Cancer Overview

Cancer is second only to heart disease as a cause of death in the United States, with 1.3 million new cases diagnosed in 2003. Indeed, one of three Americans will get cancer in his lifetime, and nearly all of us will have friends and loved ones with cancer.

No one knows the cause of cancer. Several environmental and dietary factors may contribute to the disease, and some may be hereditary. It is NOT communicable: i.e., you cannot "catch" cancer by being nearby someone who has it.

Skin cancer is by far the most common type seen (especially in Florida), but fortunately is readily treatable and rarely fatal. In men, the most common cancers involve the lung, prostate, colon, and urinary tract. In women, the most common cancers involve the breast, lung, colon, uterus, and other gynecological structures.

Once cancer is suspected, tissue must be collected and examined to confirm the diagnosis. This procedure is usually done by what is known as a biopsy or needle aspiration. The proven cancer is then classified by the organ from which it arose (lung, breast, colon, prostate, etc.), as well as by its cell type (squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, small cell, transitional cell, etc.).

Once cancer is proven, it is important to determine whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, as the extent of tumor will often determine the type of treatment necessary. This evaluation process is known as "staging", and may include physical examination, blood tests, x-rays or various scans. Cancers usually spread in one of three ways: directly to nearby tissues, through lymphatic channels to lymph nodes, or via the bloodstream to other organs such as the lungs, bones, brain, or liver.

How is cancer treated?
After cancer has been diagnosed and the extent of the disease determined (staging), appropriate treatment is recommended.

There are three main ways of treating cancer:

1. Surgery (the most common) is almost always required for at least a biopsy so that the presence of cancer is confirmed, although not all cancers or patients are suitable for surgery. More extensive surgery is sometimes useful, depending upon the type of tumor being treated.



2. Chemotherapy is used in many cases, particularly when the cancer has spread to other organs, or when the risk of microscopic spread is significant. Use of chemotherapy for unseen microscopic disease is called "adjuvant" therapy. Chemotherapy involves the administration of drugs by mouth or by vein (intravenous) for several months at regular intervals, or for years in the case of hormone therapy.



3. Radiation Therapy uses a type of x-ray or special particles in the treatment of cancer patients. These x-rays can be given in two ways:
   • External-beam radiation uses a powerful machine called a linear accelerator.
   • Brachytherapy
   can also be administered, which involves an internal radiation treatment delivered via temporary or permanent radioactive implants using solid or liquid sources such as radium cesium, iridium, iodine, palladium, californium, or strontium.

Most patients with cancer will be treated with one or more of the treatment types noted above. The best treatment is customized to the particular patient, determined by the type of cancer and its location and extent.