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Is Cancer A Serious Health Condition? Essay

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Introduction
According to the American Cancer Society (2015a), a total of 589, 430 citizens of the United States are expected to die from cancer this year. In the United States, it is identified as the second most common cause of death next to heart disease. The term cancer is defined as a “group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells” (American Cancer Society, 2015a). A person dies from cancer once the spread of these abnormal cells is not controlled. Aside from the negative psychological and physical impacts of cancer, both on the patients and their families, cancer also results in a financial burden. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), around $88.7 billion were spent for the medical cost of cancer in the year 2011 in the United States alone (as cited in American Cancer Society, 2015a). With these facts, there is no doubt that cancer is a serious health condition that many people face today.
There are different types of cancer treatments that are available. Two of the most popular among the treatments are radiation therapy and chemotherapy. With chemotherapy, certain drugs or medicines are used to treat cancer. With radiation therapy, on the other hand, cancer cells are destroyed using high-energy waves or different forms of radiation. However, these two treatment methods also bring negative side effects because aside from killing cancer cells, these may also damage perfectly healthy cells. For

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