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It can affect most areas of
the body, and falls broadly
into two groups: malignancies
which affect solid organs (e.g.
lungs, breast, prostate) and
those that affect the blood
or the lymphatic system (leukaemia,
lymphoma).
As people with a family history
of cancer are more susceptible
to the disease than others,
hereditary factors may play
a role, but there is no single
cause of cancer. Many external
factors contribute to the formation
of cancer cells, including exposure
to carcinogens and viruses.
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Chronic
cancer pain
Moderate or severe pain is experienced
by up to half of patients receiving
active treatment for cancer and by almost
three-quarters of patients with advanced
cancer. Despite these facts, 50 to 80%
of cancer patients do not achieve satisfactory
pain relief.
Fatigue
in cancer
The majority of patients who
receive chemotherapy for the treatment
of cancers that do not involve the
bone marrow, have reduced red-blood
cell levels. Indeed, chemotherapeutic
agents kill all rapidly dividing cells,
both cancerous and healthy, including
red blood cells. (Red blood cells
carry and release oxygen throughout
the body, which provides energy for
muscles and organs to work.) Furthermore,
chemotherapy suppresses the bone marrow's
ability to produce new red blood cells.
Due to lack of oxygen-rich red blood
cells, energy levels can plummet in
chemotherapy-treated cancer patients,
and fatigue may ensue.
Hairy
cell leukaemia (HCL)
HCL is a rare form of leukaemia
that results from an increase in the
number of abnormal B cells (immune
system cells). It is called "hairy
cell" as spiky projections can
be seen on the surface of affected
cells. Other effects include a greatly
enlarged spleen, anaemia and changes
in the levels of other immune system
cells. Until relatively recently,
the only treatment was to remove the
spleen. However, a number of drug
treatments are now showing promise
in this condition.
Click
here to explore our R&D advances
in this field
Do you want to know more about
this subject?
Please explore Janssen Oncology, a
site developed to facilitate oncology
literature searches (www.janssenoncology.com).
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