Transcript 3.1.1 – Stories of Cancer

3.1.1 – STORIES OF
CANCER
Mrs. Stewart
Medical Interventions
Standard:
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Cancer is a term used for more than 100 different
diseases in which cell regulation genes are mutated
causing the cells to reproduce out of control.
Objective
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Recognize that there are many different types of
cancer, each with specific risk factors, manifestations
in the body, and treatment options.
Introduction:
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Did you know that half of all men and one-third of all women in the United States
will develop cancer during their lifetimes? Did you know that millions of Americans
are currently living with or have had cancer? Unfortunately, many of you probably
know someone who has battled this disease. Cancer is a term used for more than
100 different diseases in which abnormal cells grow out of control. Cancer is the
second leading cause of death in the United States, second only to heart disease,
and affects many people in many different ways.
The cause of cancer is not always clear, but there are certain factors that can
increase the chances a person will develop cancer; these are called risk factors. Risk
factors are correlational and not causal. Someone who is at higher risk for
developing a certain type of cancer is more likely to develop that type of cancer
but might not develop that type of cancer. In this activity, you will read twelve case
stories of people with cancer. As you read through these case stories and
experience cancer through the eyes of each patient, look for trends or patterns
potentially related to the development, progression, and treatment for cancer.
Procedure:
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Fill in your Student Resource Sheet as we go through
the different stories of cancer.
Record:
 Age
of Pt at diagnosis
 Type of Cancer
 Possible Risk Factors
 Other info you find interesting/important
Amy Johnson
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Amy was born in 1938 in Wilmington, Delaware, to Caucasian
parents. Amy worked for 35 years as a kindergarten teacher at the
local elementary school. Amy and her husband, John, did not have
children until they were in their late thirties. Amy had two sons, two
granddaughters, and one grandson. Amy was a smoker until she was
45 and drinks alcohol socially. Amy’s mother and sister both had
breast cancer, so Amy decided to have a genetic screening done at
the age of 25 and found out she had inherited a mutated BRCA1
gene, which meant that she had an increased chance of developing
breast cancer. Amy therefore started having annual mammograms
starting at the age of 30. During a routine mammogram, when Amy
was 68, a lump was found in her left breast. Further tests revealed
that the tumor was malignant, and Amy had stage III cancer in her
breast that had already spread to her axillary lymph nodes. Despite
aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments, the cancer
spread to her liver and Amy died at the age of 72.
Rosemary Garcia
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Rosemary was born in 1994 in San Diego, California, to
Mexican parents. She was an average young girl who
loved riding her bike and playing outdoors with her older
brother, Juan. At the age of 8, Rosemary’s parents
started noticing that she had been getting sick frequently,
losing weight, and developing swollen lymph nodes
around her neck and in her underarms. Within one month,
Rosemary was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic
Leukemia. There was no history of cancer in Rosemary’s
family, but Rosemary’s mother expressed concerns that
she had been exposed to radiation during the beginning
months of her pregnancy. Rosemary was put on a variety
of chemotherapy treatments for the next two years and
has been in remission ever since.
Andrew Greene
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Andrew was born in 1933 in Sioux City, Iowa, to
Caucasian parents. Andrew ran a family dairy farm for
30 years which he inherited from his father, who died of
colon cancer at a young age. He lived with his wife of 46
years and continued to help on the farm until his late
sixties. Andrew was a smoker when he was younger, but
quit at the age of 50 when his first grandchild was born.
At the age of 73, Andrew started developing frequent
bladder infections and was soon after diagnosed with
late stage bladder cancer. His bladder was surgically
removed and he was given chemotherapy, but the cancer
had already spread to his bones. Andrew died a year
and a half after his diagnosis.
Chloe Manning
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Chloe was born in 2002 in Dallas, Texas, to African-American
parents. Chloe had been a normal, healthy child who until the
age of four did not have any health problems. Soon after
Chloe’s fourth birthday, Chloe’s parents started noticing that
she was having trouble walking, losing her balance a lot,
vomiting frequently, and sleeping all of the time. An MRI
indicated that Chloe had a tumor growing in her cerebellum.
There was a history of high blood pressure in Chloe’s family,
but not of cancer. Chloe had to undergo brain surgery to
remove the tumor. It was determined that Chloe had
Childhood Medulloblastoma, a disease where cancer cells
form between the brain stem and cerebellum. The surgeon was
not able to remove the entire tumor, and Chloe was put on
intense chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the cancer quickly
spread to her spine, and Chloe died at the age of six.
Kyle Li
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Kyle was born in 1987 in Tallahassee, Florida, to Chinese
parents. Kyle was a very active teenager who loved
music. At the age of 14, Kyle began to feel pain in his
knee joint and started developing a limp. Soon after the
onset of this pain, Kyle began feeling fatigued and
started to lose weight. Kyle was soon diagnosed with
Osteosarcoma, the most common bone cancer in children
and teenagers. Kyle was treated with chemotherapy and
surgery. There was no history of cancer in Kyle’s family.
Kyle was lucky because his cancer had not spread to
other parts of the body, and the surgery removed all of
the cancerous cells. Kyle is now 21 and is in his junior year
at Florida State University.
Ryan Adams
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Ryan was born in 1982 in Springfield, Illinois, to
Caucasian parents. Ryan was 21 and in his
sophomore year at the University of Illinois in
Chicago studying to be an electrical engineer when
he found a lump in his testicle that was causing him
pain. Concerned because his father had testicular
cancer when he was younger, he saw his doctor. Ryan
was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had
surgery to remove the testicle and was given
radiation therapy. Ryan recovered, graduated with a
BS in Electrical Engineering and is now married and
working in Chicago.
Clarence Major
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Clarence was born in 1938 in Atlanta, Georgia, to
African-American parents. Clarence was a small business
owner and was always very active in his community.
Clarence was a smoker when he was younger and also
used to be a heavy drinker. When Clarence turned 53,
he was diagnosed with diabetes and then at the age of
65 he began experiencing persistent abdominal
discomfort and found blood in his stool. A colonoscopy
and biopsy found that Clarence had colon cancer.
Clarence’s brother had a history of colon polyps.
Clarence underwent surgery to remove the cancer cells
and was treated with radiation. Clarence died two years
later from a heart attack.
Erin Harris
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Erin was born in 1971 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Caucasian
parents. Growing up, despite having pale skin, Erin spent a lot
of time sun bathing with her friends. When Erin was 26, her
older sister Emily had to have a section of skin removed on her
right shoulder because she had basal cell carcinoma, the most
common form of skin cancer. When Erin was 32, she noticed an
abnormally shaped, discolored mole on her neck. A biopsy
revealed Erin had melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer.
Because Erin found the suspicious mole early on, the melanoma
was in early stages and had not spread, and a surgeon was
able to remove the area in question, no other treatment was
necessary. Erin is now 37 and is very careful to always wear
sunscreen and avoid excessive UV exposure.
Christina Martinez
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Christina was born in 1968 in Brooklyn, New York, to
Puerto Rican parents. As an aspiring musician, Christina
graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in 1990.
She has been teaching guitar lessons and yoga classes at
a local community center for the last 15 years. Christina
prides herself on following a strict Vegan diet, but has
been trying to quit smoking for the last five years.
Christina’s gynecologist found precancerous cells caused
by the Human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted
infection in her during a routine pap smear when she was
36.Cryosurgery was used to remove the precancerous
cells. Christina now has follow-up pap smears in addition
to her regularly yearly pap smears.
Henry Cho
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Henry was born in 1991 in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Korean parents. He was
the pitcher on his local Little League baseball team and enjoyed playing
video games. The summer that Henry turned 11, he started having night
sweats, coughing a lot and having trouble breathing. Soon after the start of
these symptoms, he began to feel itchy all of the time. Henry’s mother took
him to the doctor because his breathing troubles had gotten so bad that he
wasn’t able to play baseball anymore. Henry was soon diagnosed with NonHodgkin Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphocytes, and was immediately put
on chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Other than Henry’s grandfather,
who died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 71, there was no other history
of cancer in Henry’s family. The chemotherapy and radiation treatments put
Henry in remission, but he relapsed four years later. The second time in
treatment, Henry was given very high doses of chemotherapy and radiation
and then received an autologous transplant, where he received his own stem
cells to replenish those that were damaged. He has been in remission ever
since, but is closely monitored in case he relapses again.
Daniel Robinson
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Daniel was born in 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri, to AfricanAmerican parents. Daniel worked as a carpenter for 34
years. Five years ago Daniel was put on high blood pressure
medicine and his doctor told him he needed to lose weight.
When Daniel was 52, he started noticing urinary problems
such as trouble urinating and decreased force in the stream
of urine. When he noticed blood in his urine, he knew he had
to go see his doctor. Daniel was diagnosed with prostate
cancer and was treated with hormone and radiation
therapy. Daniel’s brother was diagnosed with prostate
cancer one year later. It has been two years since Daniel
was first diagnosed, and he is still struggling with cancer.
Jasmine Thomas
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Jasmine was born in 1961 in Detroit, Michigan, to
African-American parents. Jasmine worked for the last
25 years at the local automobile manufacturer installing
brake shoes and clutch pads, where she was exposed to
asbestos. Jasmine lived with her two teenage daughters
and a husband who was a smoker. Jasmine had dealt
with breathing problems for many years, but at the age
of 47 she began to cough up blood and was diagnosed
with lung cancer. Jasmine’s father died from lung cancer
when she was a young girl. Even though Jasmine was
given chemotherapy and radiation treatments, she died
less than a year after being diagnosed.
Analysis Questions
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Complete the analysis questions on your student
response sheets.
Answer in your lab journal in complete sentences.