HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-03-26, Page 45Angus MacLennan, president of the Goderich Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society; Roy
Mugford, urban campaign chairman with the Goderich Branch; and Mel Farnsworth, rural
campaign chairman with the Goderich Branch, look over last year's edition of HOPE. They
met recently to plan the April fund-raising campaign for the Goderich area. (Photo by
Joanne Buchanan)
Radiation therapy fights
cancer by killing -cells
BY JOANNE BUCHANAN
Dianne Belfour, a registered radiation
technologist with the . London Regional
Cancer Centre, spoke at a meeting of the
I >a- antyUnit-of=t -Canadian.-Gauss
Society on Monday evening, March 19.
Mrs. Belfour's topic. was "Radiotherapy:
Fact and Fiction". She explained that much
progress has been made over the last few
years with regards to radiation therapy for
cancer treatment. "We do cure people," she
emphasized.
Radiation therapy is the use . of high-
energy x-rays, electrons or other forms of
radiation, such as those from cobalt 60, in
the treatment of human disease, especially
cancer. There are many types of cancer,
and they act in different ways. Because of
such differences, there are many methods of
treatment, including radiation therapy,
surgery, chemotherapy, or combinations of
those methods.
Radiation cures cancer by killing
abnormal cells; however, it can also
damage ,normal cells. It is for this reason
that planning of the treatment requires
great skill and care.
Mrs. Belfour explained that each patient
receiving radiation therapy is assessed
individually for treatment. The treatments
must be planned so that as little as possible
of the normal tissue is treated.
She said that the majority of patients don't
suffer side effects but those who do, can
have them controlled with diet, medication
and proper skin care. And while some, side
effects, such as hair loss, can be
devastating, it is important to remember
that they are often just temporary.
Mrs. Belfour said she and her colleagues
Chemotierapy dstroys
the growth of cancer cells
The word chemotherapy is drived from `PAIN ASSOCIATED
the combination of "chemical" and WITH CHEMOTHERAPY
"treatment". It has come to mean the use of Usually there is no significant pain
drugs ("chemotherapeutic agents") to associated with the injection of anticancer
destroy or control the growth of cancer drugs other than the sting of the injection
cells. Drugs have been used in the treatment itself. A very few drugs can cause a burning
of cancer for the past 30 years or so. pain and -or itching sensation when given
Currently there are over two dozen in use touaval ously. In all sensations shased, anye reportain orr
treat different kinds of cancer.
ed
promptly so the cause can be checked and
WHEN CHEMOTHERAPY IS USED corrected.
Today, chemotherapy is one of the major
methods for treating cancer. It may be used
alone or in combination with other forms of
treatment, primarily surgery or
radiotherapy.
The best form of therapy and the best drug
are selected individually for each person. In
some cases, chemotherapy is the treatment
of choice, and is considered curative in a few
cancers. In others, chemotherapy may keep
the cancer under control for months or
years. By choosing to take this form of
therapy, a cancer patient chooses the
opportunity to aid the length and quality of
his or her own life.
Dianne Belfour.
at the London Regional Cancer Clinic see an
average of about 150 patients per day for
treatment. She explained that it is
important to treat each one like an
individual and she said she tries to
remember little things about each person to
make them feel special.
Mrs. Belfour said the average number of
radiotherapy treatments is 15 to 20 per
person over a period of three to four weeks
but she also explained that this can vary
greatly depending on the individual
patient's problem.
,Mrs. Belfour has treated patients as
young as three weeks old and as old as 105.
The benefits of chemotherapy vary from
patient to patient and only the doctor can
decide how best to treat each individual.
HOW CHEMOTHERAPY WORKS
Cancer cells are cells growing out of a
body's control and one of their
characteristics is that they multiply rapidly.
Rapidly multiplying cells are more
vulnerable to drug effects, and cancer cells
will be more severely affected by them than
will most normal cells. Chemotherapeutic
agents work by destroying cancer cells
outright, by interfering with their ability to
LENGTH OF TREATMENT
How long and -or how often one receives
medication- will depend on a number of
things: the type of cancer, the kind of drug
or drugs used to treat it, how long the body
takes to respond to the drugs and how well
the body tolerates them in terms of side
effects.
Medications are given at varying
intervals, usually with rest periods in
between. Very generally speaking, duration
of treatment may be from three months to
two years.
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
All drugs used in chemotherapy have been
known to cause side effects. Some patients
have no side effects whatsoever, others have
only a few. Whether or not you experience
these reactions is a very individual matter,
and has nothing to do with how well the drug
is working in combating the cancer. Almost
all of the side effects are temporary.
Gastrointestinal effects --The
gastrointestinal tract is lined with fast-
growing cells that are very sensitive to
chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore,
nausea and vomiting are side effects that.
might be experienced. They usually -happen
'vide -.(reproduce)} or in some cases by only , during thefust few. hours after a
successfully ariitrn[go�aeats— irralet�
and in effect starving the cancer cell to
death.
Unfortunately, some normal cells are
rapidly multiplying also, and most
anticancer drugs will affect these cells as
well. Cells that may be affected include
those of the bone marrow (red and white
blood cells and platelets), the mouth,
stomach, intestines, the reproductive
system, and the hair follicle. Effects on
these organ systems are responsible for
most of the toxic side reactions of these
drugs. Such cells, however, have a
remarkable capacity to regenerate and
return to normal, and the toxic effects of the
drugs usually last only a relatively short
time.
HOW THE DRUGS ARE GIVEN
The way cancer patients on chemotherapy
receive their drug or drugs will depend on
the kind of drug prescribed to them.
Generally, chemotherapeutic agents are
given three ways: a) by mouth, b) by
injection into a muscle (a shot), or, c) by
injection into a vein .(some drugs given
intravenously are mixed with fluid and
allowed to drip in slowly, others are given
within a period of a few minutes).
Patients may be given one drug, or
several at the same time, or different drugs
at different times.
Constipation and -or diarrhea are much
less common .reactions to some drugs and
medication can be taken to alleviate them.
Finally, some people develop stomatitis,
which is soreness and ulceration of the
lining of the mouth. This problem will last
only a few days.
Muscle andnerve effects—Weakness and
lethargy (tiredness) sometimes occur. They
may be associated with anemia, but are also
direct effects of some drugs on the muscles
themselves. Occasionally, numbness and -or
tingling or burning in the hands and feet are
observed. These effects, however, are only
temporary in most cases.
Bone marrow effects—Blood cells are
produced in the bone marrow. White cells
combat infection, red cells carry oxygen to
cells, and platelets help to clot blood. These
cells are among those rapidly dividing cells
that are most senstive to the effects of
anticancer drugs. All drug effects on bone
marrow are temporary, and transfusions
are available to counteract reductions in
these cells, but it is important to be aware of
possible symptoms„ of bone marrow
suppression so they can be reported to the
doctor immediately.;Blood samples will also
be taken frequently to monitor .the effects of
the drugs on bone marrow.
Symptoms to be on the lookout for are as
follows:
Turn to page 15
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