The Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-03-30, Page 291
st
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t.;
# mall Oil y era ,ref o mere al
M. ease hY they a nada g,
use o drags, this e, ''p;.the tinea new
d i se a �f s ca n c �is covered until ,it is
Chemotherapy has been as+i ur .gneral.,use may be from
ed in one form or„ aeothe one to four years,
the treatment --of cancer for , These controls, are
the past twenty-fiveyears. necyessarysoathat no one will,
In the last ;twenty,, years suffer from.' improper use of''
great'`' `strides have been a drug The drug or drugs
made in discovering, snew Vhe doctor " prescribes have
drugs and new combinations• gone through all these steps
of old;drugs to control or pro-, d have been used before
duce; a, halt , in the progress , results. A doctor
sion of!�ihe.disease, • , would not them" unless
e
first type to be con- he or she felt.;: there was a
-.mot, cured, was good chance of that par-
na; the knowledge tieular cancer responding to
there°has been ap- treatment.
-� - many other forms of A ,doctor is the best judge
of what drug, if any, is best.
When a{nea chemotherapy to. use in a particular situa-
drug is discovered, it is. first "tion;• for only :he or she is
used in experiments on thoroughly familiar with the
animalsdiscover possible
harmful `effects. It is then
subjected to a rigid series of
tests in highly controlled
situations to discover the
most effective doses and
schedules of administration
that will work best for the.
destruction of cancer cells
without harming normal.
tissue.
The new drug is then ap-
proved by the Food and Drug
patient and. his -state of
health,
Use of -Chemotherapy .
As you . are , probably
aware, chemotherapy is only
one method of treating
cancer. It may . be used
alone, or in conjunction with
surgery or radiation.
Formerly chemotherapy
was used: only after all else
had failed. This is not true to-
day.
Know cancer's
warning signals
1. Change in bowel or blad-
der habits.
. • 2. A sore that does not heal.
3. Unusual bleeding or
discharge.
4. Thickening or lump in
breast or elsewhere.
5. Indigestion or difficulty in
swallowing.
6. Obvious change in wart or
mole.
7. Nagging cough or
hoarseness.
If you have a warning
signal, see your doctor.
i 1 fir 1 , i! !
sid� cur+ dive,
common`:cancer,
chemotherapy triad
cancer under .cont
months or even -years.
may4;not be benefited at al,
by chemotherapy Agaiu,.o
ly the doctor can decide h:
best to treat the cancer pa-
tient,
Effects of
Chemotherapy
Many different drugs may
be used- in chemotherapy.
These drugs work by dif-
ferent . methods, " but in
general they prevent the
cells from reproducing.
Sometimes a cancer cell '
may become. resistant to one
drug,much as a germ can ,
become resistant to
penicillin. If this happens,
the doctor can switch to a
different medication or to a
combination of drugs.
Through the drugs are of
different composition and
may be given differently,
they have some possible "side
effects in common. Some
that may occur are loss of
appetite, tiredness, nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, tem-
porary
loss of hair, and sup-
pression of bone marrow
function.
The bone marrow pro-
duces blood cells. Periodic
blood tests are performed on
persons receiving
chemotherapy to be sure
that their blood is being pro- -
duced in adequate amounts.
Occasionally, sores may
develop in the mouth or on
the lips.
Chemotherapy drugs af-
fect rapidly dividing cells,
and the cells -of the hair
Children with cancer ...
•°from page 12
with a physician if unsure of
any change in a child's
health.
What The Main Childhood
Cancers Are:
LEUKAEMIA is a cancer
of blood -forming tissues. In
Leukaemia, abnormal im-
mature white cells increase
greatly and invade other
tissues and organs: These
white cells -are not able to
function at their normal task
of fighting disease which
makes the leukaemic child
vulnerable to infection or
hemorrhage. The child may
have a wan appearance, and -
or listless behavior. New
drugs and combined drug
treatment have extended
lives in some cases for more
than 15 years. There are no
cures yet for some types of
leukaemia.
OSTEOGENIC SARCOMA
is a bone cancer which
develops most often in the
forearm or lower leg. There
is usually no pain at first, but
eventually swelling and dif-
ficulty in using the arm or
leg is noticed. Any ch-onic
disability or swelling should
be brought to the physician's
attention. Treatment is
surgery which may be com-
bined with radiation and
chemotherapy. This form of
cancer is responding to ag-
gressive treatment.
CANCERS OF THE NER-
VOUS SYSTEM are known
as neuroblastomas. Except
leukaemia, they are the
frequent form of
c cer in children. They oc- ,
c Lin certain nerve fibers of
the body and can appear
anywhere - though usually in
the abdomen. The first sign
may be swelling of the ab-
domen. The treatment of
choice is a combination of
surgery and drugs, and
chances for recovery are ex-
cellent.
BRAIN TUMORS very
early in their course are like-
ly to cause blurred or double
vision, dizziness, difficulty in
walking or handling objects
and unexplained nausea.
Some of these tumors: -are
curable if diagnosed'in time.
Treatment is surgery and -or
radiation.
LYMPHOMAS involve the
lymph nodes scattered
throughout the body. These
nodes act as filters protec-
ting the body against the
spread of infection. Lym-
phomas are not easy to
detect, but cause swelling of
the lymph nodes in the neck,
armpit and groin, generaliz-
ed feeling of weakness;
possibly fever: Treatment is
usually a combination of
surgery, radiation and drugs
which can hold the disease
under effective control for
many years. (Hodgkin's
disease is a form of lym-
phoma which occurs in
young adults rather than
children).
EYE TUMORS occur in
children usually under the
age of four. The first sign
may, be a squint, Later a
pearly glint may be noted in
the pupil. If this cancer is
detected early, cure is possi-
ble. Treatment is usually
surgery, though radiation is
sometimes used in combina-
tion with drugs.
CANCER OF THE
KIDNEY or Wilms' tumor is
usually detebted by a swell-
ing or lump in the child's ab-
domen. Treatment is
surgery combined with
radiation. In selected cases,
chemotherapy has also been
effective. Centers report in-
creasing success with
treating this cancer.
tro
to
chef
stop
or anoti
substituted
toms: are ox
and ,w will, clear up w
medicine is stopied. ..r.
],Tally fortunate: patients
The Cancer Fighting Team
Newtreatment methods
require teamwork among
radiologists, surgeons,
medical oncologists and the
childhood cancer specialist,
pediatric oncologists. Other
members of the cancer
fighting team are nurses,
physiotherapists and social
workers who help achieve
total care for the child with
cancer.
Hospitals today encourage
a strong parent role during
treatment sessions for out-
patients. Live-in facilities
are often available for
ng sexual
mess ,the
otherwise, ` there ,. ar
special foo k that,i,4,h0
eaten, nor are .there any
avoid. No medicationns, in-
,go through a completes eluding vitamins,: aspirins
course of treatment with no and' -birth control pills:should
side effects; at all. This does N be taken unless approved or
drug is. not prescribed by, the doctor.
Chemothera•pY • is
something about which the
patient will have many ques-
tions: Will it work? Will I get
"sick? How will this affect my
mate and -or my family?
Should I practice birth con -
not mean tial tine•
working. The appearance or
intensity of side effects has
no bearing onihow effective
the drug will be in treating
the cancer. It seems to be a
Matter . of individual
tolerance and tumor
response.
How is Chemotherapy
Given?
Chemotherapy- drugs, can
be given in several ways.
They may, be applied as, an
ointment or lotionas in skin
cancer, taken by mouth, or
given as an injection into the
muscle or yein. They are
usually given for several
days in succession, followed-
by a period of rest, then
given again. This is one way
that has been found to be ef-
fective against cancer
without damaging the nor-
mal cells.
Medication is usually
given either in the hospital,
the doctor's office, or at the
outpatient clinic of a
hospital. A doctor or a
specially trained nurse will
parents when.,a child must
undergo a hospital stay.
In addition, the child's
family_ receives emotional
support. Other children', in
the family may visit the
clinic and share in -playroom,
activities with the patient;
adults sometimes find. join-
ing a group of parents with ..
the common problem of
cancer is helpful.
. In The Future.
The Canadian Cancer
Society has a National Ad-
visory . Committee on
Childhood Cancer which is
investigating every aspect of
the disease in relation to our
nation's children. The Socie-
ty is expanding its programs
in Service and Rehabilita-
tion. In Public Education,
new programs help parents,
teachers and school nurses
recognize the subtle signs of
cancer in young children and,
emphasize the curability of
these cancers.
There is a tremendous in-
terest in the post-treatinent
lives of children whose
cancers have been brought
under control. Regular
checkups are providing im-
portant data on growth and
health patterns of these suc-
cessfully treated children.
Much can be learned to help
all future cancer patients
through the knowledge gain-
ed today by helping children
fight the disease.
1Tew` ` +,r as You
earaCd,'$ from One
.to. eget `
,genera ..,.
necessary so that people
,not he exposed to hazardous
.and dangerous. rugs:
The drugs some claim are
used with "great success" in
other countries are either.
.g tested, or': haves
tested and' rejeeted by,
Food and,Grug-Directoralte
Their toxic effects mayTfar,
outweigh: the beneficial :h
fects.
This information is brought to you with
the kind co-operation of the following:
41,
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