Cancer: Immune System and Damaged Cells

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. When cells in part of the body become overactive, cancer begins. Many kinds of cancer start because of the out of control growth of abnormal cells. How can you prevent cancer? Research shows that there are ways to prevent cancer. Avoiding smoking cigarettes and exposure to smoke will decrease the chances of getting lung cancer. Fruits, vegetables and a well balanced diet are important to keep healthy and will help repair damaged cells. Colleen Huber stated, “All foods should be whole, not processed because of all the synthetic chemicals in packaged food.” (Huber) Keeping track of your personal and family medical history will help the risk factor for certain types of cancer. Lastly, getting screened for cancer regularly will be useful for detecting cancer and will also prevent it. Treatments can also help get rid of cancer. Chemotherapy is a treatment for cancer where one takes certain types of drugs to treat the cancer. Shortened to “chemo,” it has been helping people since the late 1950’s. Because of chemo, many people with cancer live full healthy lives. To a person with cancer, chemotherapy means something can be done to try to control or cure the cancer. This realization gives cancer patients something that is also essential besides medication: hope. Different chemo drugs can be used to treat different cancer. The drugs go through the body to kill the cancer cells. Chemo is given in many ways; it may be given in a pill or a liquid to take home with directions. One may be given chemo shots in a doctor’s office, hospital or a clinic. Ultimately, chemo may be given in the veins through a needle or a tiny plastic tube called an IV. One may be given chemo once a day, once a week, or once a month. Since chemo drugs are very strong, healthy cells in the body may grow quickly and become damaged which causes side effects. Cells in the bone marrow, cells that grow hair, of skin and mouth and