When cells begin to grow uncontrollably in a certain area of the body, cancer occurs. Although normal cells grow and divide in a certain order, cancer cells dont -- they grow so quickly they crowd out normal cells.
The extra cells that are a result of this uncontrollable growth and division are called tumors.
The American Cancer Society estimates about 1,437,180 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2008.
MYSTERIOUS KILLERS: The brain is the control center of the body, so when it is affected by cancer the results are especially devastating. Numbers show the youngest and oldest segments of society are especially prone to this illusive killer.
No one knows the exact causes of brain tumors, yet they are now the second-fastest growing reason for cancer death among those over age 65.
The National Cancer Institute says malignant brain and other central nervous system cancers are the second most common types of cancer in children.
In children, brain tumors are usually primary, meaning they originate in the brain. The most common type of these tumors is a glioma.
These tumors begin in the glial cells of the brain and are divided into four types.
Astrocytomas occur most often in the brain stem, cerebrum and cerebellum of children and in the cerebrum of adults. The cerebrum is largest part of the brain.
Astrocytomas include the most common and devastating of all brain tumors -- glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
Another type of glioma is the brain stem glioma. These tumors occur in the lowest part of the brain.
Ependymomas arise in the central canal of the spinal cord, and oligodendrogliomas are rare tumors that grow slowly in the cerebrum.
Traditional treatments for brain tumors include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, either separately or in different combinations.
Numerous cutting-edge cancer treatments are currently under study, including therapeutic vaccines.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: Vaccines to prevent and treat cancer are among the newest options offering hope to cancer patients and those at risk for cancer.
At this point, only two vaccines have been licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to target cancer, and both are aimed at preventing it.
The hepatitis B vaccine prevents infection with the hepatitis B virus, which is associated with some forms of liver cancer, and Gardasil prevents infection with two types of human papillomavirus known to cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases worldwide, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Vaccines used to treat cancers are still being developed and studied. These therapies target the unique molecules found on the surface of cancer cells and stimulate the immune system to attack only those cells.
One vaccine that has shown promise for treatment in clinical trials uses the herpes virus and the virus that causes the common cold to stop replication of cancer cells and eventually kill them.
Although the FDA has yet to approve a cancer-treating vaccine for humans, the United States government approved such a vaccine for animals in 2007.
The Department of Agriculture granted conditional approval to a breakthrough vaccine which treats canine melanoma.
Another step in the area of cancer treatment took place earlier this year in Russia when the government granted approval to market the vaccine Oncophage, which treats kidney cancer.
Source http://www.thedenverchannel.com
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