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Olivia Fowler

Professor Skelly

ENG 1201

19 July 2020

The Cure to Cancer?

Humans have been dealing with cancer for as long as we know. Cancer is a disease

caused by uncontrolled cell division that is dependent on a controlled sequence of events. Cancer

is looked at as a disease that has “no cure”. There are actually many different types of treatment

that have been discovered in the past decades, like chemotherapy, different types of hormones,

surgeries and even natural medicines. They have even found that some types of cancers are

genetic. There are serval different types of cancers some in which are found in both men and

women and some that are gender related. Cancer can also last a few months or even a few years.

Cancer is something that has played a role in many families, including mine. I want to learn

more in hopes to know what my family has gone through with treatment and how cancer could

affect my life as an individual. With cancer being one of the world’s most lethal diseases,

doctors and researchers everywhere are working around the clock to find a cure. Although

many of these treatments they discover may help people, it may also have drastic effects,

and sometimes be controversial.

Many of my family members have experienced the fight against cancer. My grandma lost

to breast cancer at very young age leaving my mother at eight years old. My grandpa has had

many surgeries that have help with his fight against cancer. Then, just last year, my 18-year-old

stepbrother was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Seeing everything that he had to go

through and how it was so mentally and physically draining. I wanted to learn more about it, so
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he did not feel like he was going through it alone. He experienced a lot of nausea, headaches,

nerve pain and a loss of appetite after chemotherapy. He was not able to live his normal life

while going through all of the treatment, it took such a toll on his body. The only thing that

helped his symptoms ended up being medical marijuana. While using medical marijuana he was

able to get off of all his other medications that were making him feel ill.

Cancer is said and or thought of as the “uncurable disease”. People believe this to be true

because scientists and researchers have been trying to find a cure for cancer ever since it was

discovered in the 15th century. Scientists started to study the human body more during this era.

Galileo and Newton were two scientists that began the scientific study that later led to a better

understanding of the blood circulation and the functions of the human organs. Surgery was only

performed on the cancers that were believed to be “moveable” according to the scientists.

(Evolution of Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapy).

The way that doctors treat cancer has come a far way, back in the day, there was little that

they could do. The treatments consist of surgery and that wasn’t always very effective. Cancer

started to really spark during the time period of the World War’s, all of the chemicals used

during the war exposed the soldiers to many different health issues. The soldiers were exposed to

mustard gas which contains chemicals that are toxic to the cells. They began to use drugs during

this time to help prevent the spread of cancer. Chemotherapy was discovered in the 1940’s. The

development of anesthesia was not present until a century later, this allowed surgeries to flourish

and operations to run more smoothly (Evolution of Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapy).

Today, researchers are finding new advances into what causes cancer. Cancer is caused

by both genetic and environmental factors. It is said that 5 to 10 percent of specific cancers, such

as breast cancer, are linked to inherited alterations (Breast Cancer). Other physical factors have
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also been proven to increase the risk of cancer. Other health issues can then lead into the

potential risk of cancer itself. Many forces can cause gene mutations, from smoking, viruses, and

other chemicals to obesity, hormones and chronic inflammation. Cancer is caused by gene

mutations and some of these mutations are inherited from one or both person’s parents. The

“hereditary mutations are present in the DNA of sperm and egg cells; they can be passed down in

families” (Hereditary Cancer and Genetics). Not all people that are carriers of the mutations will

actually get cancer but there is potential that they will experience it at some point in their

lifetime. Genetic testing is now offered to people that have a family history of different types of

cancers. Many doctors recommend that you get tested at a young age if your parents are carriers

or if there have been close family members that have experienced cancer in their lifetime

(Hereditary Cancer and Genetics). Cancer is caused by numerous different factors but can also

be cured by many different methods.

There are many different types of treatment that have been discovered in today’s era.

Over half of the patients that are diagnosed with cancer undergo chemotherapy (Hereditary

Cancer and Genetics). There are multiple different methods that this drug can act as a treatment.

Another treatment is medical marijuana. Medical marijuana is only legalized in a few of the

states so far. Yet, we have seen an increase in this treatment within the past few years. Lastly, if

chemotherapy and or medical marijuana do not help, then doctors will perform surgery. Another

reason that a doctor might perform surgery is because of the patients age. Age plays a huge role

in the type of treatment the body can take. Sometimes chemotherapy may be too harsh on the

body leaving no choice but to complete surgery. Yet, chemotherapy is still the most effective and

the main method of treatment we use today.

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Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells

in one’s body. Many different types of drugs are offered through chemotherapy (Breast Cancer).

Chemotherapy targets the fast-growing damaged versions of the genes known as oncogenes.

Oncogenes divide continuously, even a single defective copy will cause the cell to divide. The

normal genes that grow at a regular pace are called proto-oncogenes. Some of the proto-

oncogenes work to regulate the cell death. These are the two types of genes, their “protein

products stimulate or enhance the division and viability of cells” (Escrivá-de-Romaní).

One protein that plays a very important role in chemotherapy for breast cancer and

cervical cancer is HER2. Cells with a lot of HER2 respond a lot faster and more accurately.

Chemotherapy attacks the cells that are rapidly dividing and the HER2 amplification can

stimulate cell division. Historically, it was said that HER2 was associated with abnormal cell

growth. Newer studies show that HER2 is important because the tumors are more likely to grow

aggressively without HER2 (Escrivá-de-Romaní). One drug that we are seeing more in today’s

medicine is medical marijuana.

There has been a lot of controversy with the use of medical marijuana. Is it safe to use?

Should it be legalized? Does it actually work? Medical marijuana is legalized in 29 of the states

and also in Washington, DC (Grinspoon). In Ohio, medical marijuana was legalized in 2016.

Medical marijuana is used to help control pain. Medical marijuana is safer than opiates, it is

impossible to overdose and far less addictive. Marijuana is a hemp or cannabis plant; the dried

flower buds is what contains THC. Patients that use medical marijuana say that it allows them to

resume to their pervious activities a lot faster and without feeling completely disengaged. The

use of medical marijuana allowed him to get back into the activities he had participated in before

being diagnosed.
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The debate of legalizing medical marijuana has been around for years now. Studies have

shown that medical marijuana has fewer side effects and with using it, it almost makes

overdosing non-existent. Medical marijuana does not need to be smoked, you can get it in other

forms such as, CBD oils, relief treatments, edibles, and other non-smoking applications.

Marijuana is a natural plant that has been used for centuries in medicine (Top 5 Reasons Why

Medical Cannabis Should Be Legal in ALL 50 States).

Several “legal” drugs are more harmful than marijuana. The use opiates cause more harm

to the humans physical and mental health. One myth in using marijuana is that it is a “gateway

drug”, meaning that you are more likely to try harder drugs in the future. Only 9-10% of

marijuana users develop an abusive relationship with harder drugs such as heroin. Twenty-nine

percent of opioid users are estimated to misuse the harder drugs. Research shows that medical

marijuana is, in fact, safer than tobacco, alcohol, and opioids (Top 5 Reasons Why Medical

Cannabis Should Be Legal in ALL 50 States).

Some believe that medical marijuana should not be legalized and that it is not safe do to

some of the affects and the federal law. Frequent use of marijuana can cause short-term memory

loss and also impair your cognitive ability. Marijuana also carries a risk of abuse and addiction,

as does every other drug. People may abuse the drug itself, or the fact that they can get it

medically prescribed to them. Marijuana can also affect a person’s personality by causing

drowsiness and depression. Smoking, whether it is marijuana or tobacco, is an irritant to the

throat and lungs causing other health issues down the road. Nearly 480,000 deaths each year are

due to the use of cigarette smoking (Top 5 Reasons Why Medical Cannabis Should Be Legal in

ALL 50 States). Over the years, researchers have been able to collect data on smoking products

and have seen death after death due to the health risks that are involved. “Does marijuana
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actually help the cancer or just the pain?” None of the studies show that marijuana can cure

cancer, the only way that the marijuana helps is relief of the symptoms. There is also some

evidence that the natural elements within marijuana have therapeutic benefits for other diseases

also. The compounds within the medical marijuana relieve many different symptoms for other

diseases such as HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and cancer itself (Wilkinson).

One con to smoking medical marijuana is that depending on the type of cancer and the way

you are using medical marijuana; it could potentially accelerate the growth. For example, if you

were to smoke medical marijuana as you are trying to cure your lung cancer, it is just going to

make it worse. “Believe it or not, marijuana smoke contains 50-70 percent more carcinogenic

hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke, which means it has a much higher potential to cause cancer of

the lungs and respiratory tract” (TO SMOKE OR NOT TO SMOKE). This is the case since

marijuana smoke is held in the lungs longer than tobacco smoke and when the lungs are exposed

to these types of chemicals it is hazardous. Yet, there are many other ways that you can use

marijuana as medicine. Smoking medical marijuana takes an overall effect on the patient’s lungs

no matter what type of cancer they are getting treated for. Smoke in a person’s lungs causes

many other health related issues. Different types of cancer benefit from different types of

treatment.

Another con associated with medical marijuana is the increase risk of heart attacks. A

patient with chest pain smoking medical marijuana is more likely to establish a heart disease.

Marijuana has natural effects of raising the heart rate, dilating blood vessels and making the heart

pump harder. Due to these effects that marijuana does to the heart, researchers say that the risk

for a heart attack is many times higher than it would be normally. Medical marijuana does not

have the same risk effects to a person that has minimal cardiovascular risk though (Marijuana
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and Heart Health: What You Need to Know). These statistics are based off of reports of patients

that smoke the marijuana. It’s hard to tell what effect edibles, oils and other forms of medical

marijuana do to the cardiovascular system.

Other than chemotherapy and medical marijuana, many people go through different

surgical procedures. Prior to surgery many screenings occur. The most common screening for

breast cancer is a mammogram. A mammogram is “an x-ray study conducted using a machine

that compresses the breast for more accurate imagining” (Breast Cancer). Getting tested early on

is a great way to help prevent the spread of cancer, catching it in the early stages allows it to be

more treatable. It is recommended that women with an average risk of breast cancer get a

mammogram once a year.

Treatment for breast cancer, and all types of cancer, depends on the stage that it is in, or the

extent of how fast it is spreading. There for four different stages within cancer patients. Stage

one patients have a small and contained amount of cancer. Stage 2 patients have a larger tumor,

but it has not started to spread from the organ to the surrounding tissue. Stage 3 usually means

that it has started to spread to the surrounding tissue and stage 4 patients means that cancer is

taking over the body and moving to other organs (Stages of Cancer). Doctors use different

symbols and letters to describe the cancer and what stage it is in. T, N and M are used to describe

the parts of the body the cancer is spreading to and the size.

Different types of treatment are performed on the advanced stages and extremely large

tumors. For instance, within breast cancer there for two different types of surgery, breast-

conserving surgery, or also known as lumpectomy, and mastectomy. Lumpectomy is the process

of removing just the cancerous part of the breast. Lumpectomy is usually performed when the

women is in the early stages of breast cancer. Radiation is then used to help make sure the cancer
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does not return to the area. On the other hand, mastectomy is when the entire breast is removed.

This procedure is performed if one has a high risk of breast cancer. This removal treatment can

be performed on one or both of the breasts. Risks of both of these surgeries consist of bleeding,

infection, pain, and shoulder stiffness. When deciding between the two procedures the patient

must consider the stage of the cancer and how fast it is spreading. This procedure makes the

patient feel a little more comfortable that the cancer will not return (Breast Cancer).

Other types of cancer use hormone therapy which is having the option for medication that

spreads and stacks to the estrogen or progesterone receptors. The patient takes this medication to

block the hormones within the body from helping the breast cancer cells to grow. Radiation

therapy is when direct radioactive waves are used to kill cancerous cells. Breast cancer treatment

also consists of chemotherapy, being a type of radiation treatment. Radiation treatment is the

most common source of treatment. Both types of therapy leave the patient with similar side

effects such as mood swings, hot flashes, nausea, and then a higher risk of blood clots, a stroke

or heart attack (Breast Cancer).

As a human trying to prevent cancer or as a cancer patient, there are holistic remedies that

help the human stay healthy. Scientists and Researchers have both said that exercise, healthy

eating and a healthy mental state are all great ways to help. These holistic remedies do not only

help prevent cancer but many other health and mental issues. Taking care of your body can

improve one’s overall health. A clear body and mind allow one to be at peace with themselves

and keeps the person in the best shape.

Being a cancer patient or a survivor, changes you forever, the effects that the different

treatments leave on your physical and mental self are numerous. The effects of the cancer

treatments depend on the patients age and other health conditions, yet, that aside, many patients
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experience appetite loss, bleeding and bruising, swelling, and more. Also, with the drugs

traveling throughout the body, they can also affect healthy cells that are just fast-growing

(Hereditary Cancer and Genetics). Damage to the healthy cells can cause other side effects

within the body. Damaging the healthy cells does not only hurt the healthy cells but also does not

help that your body needs those fast-growing cells due to the treatments. A lot of the time

chemotherapy leaves a lasting impact of the patient’s health, whether it is a good or poor one.

We know of cancer as the “uncurable” disease. Once the patient goes into remission, that

means that the symptoms and the signs are reduced, that you are on the path of recovery. If

remission is complete, then the symptoms have faded. The only way that one is considered a

cured cancer patient is if they have been in complete remission for 5 or more years (Evolution of

Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapy). Once the patient is cured, it is a big deal for the individual

and the family.

As a result of the studies that are being performed today, cancer treatments have evolved.

Even with cancer being one of the world’s most lethal diseases, I believe there to be a cure to

cancer out there. Different genes and treatments can help in the diagnosis and the cure of cancer.

All of the research that doctors and scientists are putting in to finding a cure and all of the

methods that have been discovered are now playing a role in an abounding amount of lives and

families. Each and every type of treatment has their own benefits on each person, their age, the

type of cancer and the stage of cancer. There has been some controversy throughout the process

of finding a cure with whether or not medical marijuana should be legalized. People wonder if

the drug will get abused like a lot of the other drugs that. Overall, with all of the research that has

been concluded, I believe that we are on the right path to finding a cure to cancer. Doctors and
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researchers have been working on curing this disease with the least amount of effects on the

body for many decades and still work every day to cure this lethal disease known as, cancer.
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Works Cited

“Breast Cancer.” Shibboleth Authentication Request, 2015, go-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ps/headerQuickSearch.do?inputFieldNames
%5B0%5D=OQE&quickSearchTerm=Breast
%2BCancer&searchType=BasicSearchForm&userGroupName=dayt30401&nwf=y&prodI
d=OVIC&stw.option=&ebook=&quicksearchIndex=OQE&spellCheck=true&hasCoProdu
ct=false&collectionId=Gale%2BOpposing%2BViewpoints%2BOnline
%2BCollection&seriesId=&contentModuleId=&edition=.

Escrivá-de-Romaní, et al. “Cancer Genes.” CancerQuest, www.cancerquest.org/cancer-

biology/cancer-genes?
gclid=EAIaIQobChMIooPKlbWb6gIVkcDACh16Mwt1EAAYASAAEgKKwvD_BwE.

“Evolution of Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapy.” American Cancer Society, 2020,

www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/history-of-cancer/cancer-treatment-chemo.html.

Grinspoon, MD, Peter. “Medical Marijuana.” Harvard Health Blog, 15 Apr. 2020,
www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085.

“Hereditary Cancer & Genetics.” Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2020,
www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/risk-assessment-screening/hereditary-
genetics#:~:text=Because%20hereditary%20mutations%20are%20present,lifetime%20is
%20higher%20than%20average.

“Marijuana and Heart Health: What You Need to Know.” Harvard Health , Harvard Health
Publishing , Aug. 2017, www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/marijuana-and-heart-health-
what-you-need-to-know.

“Stages of Cancer.” Cancer Research UK, 7 July 2020, www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-

cancer/what-is-cancer/stages-of-cancer.

“TO SMOKE OR NOT TO SMOKE?: Pros and Cons of Medical Marijuana.” The Mindful
Word, 20 Feb. 2020, www.themindfulword.org/2015/pros-cons-medical-marijuana.

“Top 5 Reasons Why Medical Cannabis Should Be Legal in ALL 50 States.” WayofLeaf,
WayofLeaf, 4 Feb. 2020, wayofleaf.com/blog/reasons-why-medical-cannabis-should-be-
legal-in-all-50-states.

Wilkinson, Samuel T. “Medical and Recreational Marijuana: Commentary and Review of the
Literature.” Missouri Medicine, Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association, 2013,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6179811/.
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