Statistics say that nearly 20% of the current cancer sufferers from US have had the disease in this past.
When we say second cancer, we do not refer to the spread of a previous tumor, but to the appearance of a different cancer tissue on a different section of the body. Over the last four decades, the general situation aggravated: the number of cancer sufferers rose by 2 times while those of with second cancers by 3 times.
It is not rare for cancer sufferers to get another cancer diagnosis after successfully treating a previous tumor. As we speak, there are 19% of second cancer diagnoses in the United States. Four decades ago, this proportion was half as small, a recent study shown. After looking at the statistics, some specialists say that this is a good thing, since people are now more able to survive cancer and thrive as much as until they might get it again. However, that doesn’t explain why the numbers of first cancers is increasing.
There are extreme cases where persons can suffer from cancer more than two times. Judith Bernstein from Philadelphia is one of those unfortunate examples, which had eight successfully treated tumors over the last 20 years.
According to the sufferers, second cancers are more traumatizing compared to the first because at the first diagnosis your fear is of the unknown, but on the next one, the fear is familiar and it reminds you of the aggressive treatments with chemotherapy.
Put yourself in the shoes of Bernstein, the above mentioned woman from Philadelphia who suffered from eight types of cancers. How can someone handle that? Judith, an upbeat character, declared that psychiatrists, friends and family members represented great emotional support for her, but she specifically lauded exercising, which she believes played the most important role in her multiple recoveries.
Second cancers are especially troublesome since they are limiting treatment choices. Recently it was discovered that the human body has a radiation memory and cannot endure this type of treatment for more than once in the affected area. Certain drugs used in chemotherapy also have a dose limit in order to avoid vascular or neurological damage.
One potential risk factor that could raise the risk of getting a second cancer could be smoking and alcohol, but some firmly believe that once being affected by radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatments for the first cancer, the body will be more predisposed to new forms of the disease.
Doctors recommend second cancer sufferers to take a deep breath because treatments are improving every day, and proper support is easier than ever to reach.
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