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Learning About Cancer
What Is Cancer?
Why Do Children Get Cancer?
Will I Get Cancer, Too?
Can Doctors Cure Cancer?
Learning about cancer and your brother's or sister's treatment
can help you feel less afraid. Some of what you have seen or
heard about cancer may not apply. Most people feel better when
they know what to expect.
Here are a few facts to remember:
- Nothing you did, thought, or said caused your
brother or sister to get cancer.
- You can't catch cancer from another
person.
- Scientists are finding many new and
better
ways to
find and
treat
cancer.
- Most kids
survive
cancer.
"I
got
really
mad
at
Chrissy
one
day.
She
wouldn't
let
me
ride
her
bike.
I
got
mad
and
said,
'I
wish
you
were
dead.'
Now
she
has
leukemia.
I
thought
maybe
it
was
my
fault.
I
was
scared
to
tell
anyone
because
then
they'd
all
know
what
I
did
and
be
mad.
But
my
dad
heard
me
crying
one
night,
and
got
me
to
talk
to
him.
He
said
it
wasn't
my
fault
or
anybody's
that
Chrissy
has
cancer."
- Katie,
age
13
Doctors have found more than 100 different types
of cancer. Cancer is a group of many related
diseases that begin in
cells, the body's basic unit of
life. To understand cancer, it's helpful to know what happens
when normal cells become cancer cells.
Normally, cells grow and divide to make more cells only when the
body needs them. This orderly process helps to keep the body
healthy. Sometimes, however, cells keep dividing when new cells
aren't needed. These extra cells form a mass of
tissue, called a
growth or
tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant:
- Benign tumors aren't cancerous. They can often be
removed and don't spread to other parts of the body.
- Malignant tumors are cancerous. Cells in these tumors
are abnormal and divide and grow without control or order.
They can invade and damage nearby tissues and spread to
organs in other parts of the body. The spread of cancer from
one part of the body to another is called metastasis.
Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they
begin. For example, cancer that begins in the bone is called bone
cancer. Some cancers do not form a tumor. For example,
leukemia, which is the most common cancer among children, is a
cancer of the bone marrow and blood.
The causes of most cancers aren't known. Cancer
among children does not happen that often. Scientists
are still trying to learn more about why some kids get
cancer and others don't.
If you are worried that you may get cancer, you should know that
most cancers don't run in families. You and your parents can talk
to a doctor for more information.
Every year scientists discover better ways to treat cancer. That
means many people are successfully treated for cancer. However,
doctors are careful not to use the word "cure" until a patient
remains free of cancer for several years. Cancer treatment may
cause a remission, which means that the doctor can't find signs
of cancer. But sometimes the cancer comes back. This is called a
relapse or recurrence. Whether your brother or sister will be
cured of cancer depends on many things. No booklet can tell you
exactly what to expect. It is better to talk with your parents and
your sibling's doctor or nurse.
| Where to go for more information |
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To learn more about the type of cancer your brother or sister
has, visit the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Web site
(http://www.cancer.gov). You can also call NCI's Cancer
Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
to talk with an information specialist. All calls are free and
confidential.
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