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Cancer Basics
Most people don't usually associate cancer with teens because it's more common in adults. You probably know someone who has had it, such as an older relative or someone in a friend's family. But teens can get some types of cancer, too.
What Is Cancer?
The word cancer actually refers to many diseases, not one. In fact, there are more than 100 types of diseases known collectively as cancer. What they all have in common is the overgrowth of cells, tiny units that make up all living things. Cancer (also known as malignancy, pronounced: muh-LIG-nun-see) occurs when cells begin to grow and multiply in an uncontrolled way.
Normal body cells grow and divide over a period of time until they eventually die. But cancer cells continue to grow and divide and grow and divide.
Eventually, they gather to form tumors. Tumors are lumps that can interfere with the body's normal processes. Sometimes cells from a tumor break away and travel to a different tissue or organ. This is called metastasis
(pronounced: muh-TASS-tuh-siss).
As scary as all this sounds, most cancers can be treated and controlled and many people with cancer get better and lead normal lives.
How Do People Get Cancer?
No one really knows why cancer grows in certain people. Scientists and researchers are working to discover why some people get cancer and others do not. This will help them to learn whether cancer can be prevented.
Doctors do have some ideas about why people may get cancer, though. The main reasons are genetics and certain environmental or behavioral triggers.

The tendency to develop some types of cancer is believed to be inherited — that is, the genes you were born with might carry a predisposition for cancer.
For example, if a close relative has had cancer of the breast or the colon, you may be more likely to inherit the tendency to develop those cancers, even though you may never actually get them.
Some behavioral and environmental triggers can cause changes in the body's cells that push them into a cancerous state. For example, cigarettes are known to increase the risk of lung cancer. Too much exposure to the sun can increase the risk of skin cancer. These types of triggers act on the body slowly over time, so the cancers that may result from them don't show up until a person is an adult. That's one reason why teens don't get the same types of cancers as adults do.
Doctors do know for sure that cancer itself is not contagious, so you don't have to worry about catching it from someone else or spreading it to another person
(although people with certain infectious diseases such as AIDS or hepatitis are more vulnerable to certain cancers.)
How Do People Know They Have Cancer?
The first sign of cancer is a symptom — a signal that something is wrong. There are many different signs that a person may have cancer, just as there are many different forms of the disease.
The Seven Warning Signs of Cancer
The American Cancer Society uses the word C-A-U-T-I-O-N to help recognize the seven early signs of cancer:
C hange in bowel or bladder habits (watery to hard or vise- versa, increase or decrease in frequency)
A sore that does not heal
U nusual bleeding or discharge
T hickening or lump in the breast, testicles, or elsewhere
I ndigestion or difficulty swallowing
O bvious change in the size, color, shape, or thickness of a wart, mole, or mouth sore
N agging cough or hoarseness
Only you know how your body works and what you feel like when you're healthy. If you haven't been feeling well, it's best to tell an adult who can make sure you see a doctor who will evaluate your symptoms. Cancer, like most

illnesses, is easier to treat when it's found early, so when in doubt, check it out.
When cancer is suspected, doctors will order various tests. These might include
blood tests, in which blood cells are examined under a microscope for problems, X-rays, or an MRI, a test that can be used to detect tumors.
A doctor who specializes in treating people with cancer is called an oncologist
(pronounced: ahn-KOL-uh-jist). They often use a biopsy (pronounced: BYE-opsee) to diagnose cancer. In this procedure, a doctor removes a small tissue sample to examine it for cancer cells.
How Do Doctors Treat Cancer?
Most cancers can be treated, especially the types of cancers teens are likely to get. The number of people who beat cancer goes up every year because of new cancer treatments. The three common methods for treating cancer are: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Because cancer is different in each patient, each person's treatment plan will be individually designed for him or her. Someone with cancer may undergo any one of these treatments or a combination of them.
Surgery removes cancerous tissue. Depending on the location of the cancer, surgery can be simple or complex, so the operation may be an outpatient procedure (where someone is in and out of the hospital on the same day) or may require that the person stay in the hospital. Generally, the surgeon removes the cancerous tissue along with a small amount of the healthy tissue surrounding it to make sure that all the cancer is removed and has not spread.
The treatment of cancer using medication is called chemotherapy. Certain cancers respond well to chemo, which often can be given on an outpatient basis. Someone who is having chemotherapy may experience nausea, fatigue, hair loss, or other side effects. Some of these side effects happen because chemo medicines may destroy some healthy cells in the process of getting rid of the malignant cells. In time, these healthy cells will start to grow again and most of the side effects will disappear.
Radiation, or radiotherapy, is another method of treating cancer. A person getting radiation for cancer will probably be treated by a radiation oncologist, someone who specializes in using radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiotherapy machines deliver powerful X-rays or high-energy electrons to the part of the body that's affected by cancer. After repeated doses of high levels of radiation, many cancerous tumors shrink or disappear.
Radiation therapy is generally painless, but there may be some side effect, such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Some patients complain that the area of skin that's irradiated feels sunburned. But most of these side effects are

temporary.
Treatment using anticancer medicines that help the body’s immune system fight cancer cells is called immunotherapy. Some chemicals (interferon) stimulate the immune system to produce more white blood cells. Other chemicals may be directly injected into cancerous tumors. This may cause the immune system to fight off the injected chemical at the same time they are fighting the cancer cells.
Reducing your Cancer Risks
The following guidelines are ways you can lower your chances of developing cancer.
1. Avoid all forms of tobacco.
2. Limit your alcohol intake
3. Eat properly balanced diets. Almost 4 out of 10 cancer deaths are related to your diet. A low fat, high fiber diet reduces the risk of colon cancer. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
4. Avoid overexposure to the sun and tanning salons. Use sunscreen and reapply often.
5. Keep informed, when new carcinogens are discovered, avoid them.
6. Know your body and recognize warning signs. Visit your doctor if you suspect a problem. Early detection is important in curing many cancers.
Coping With and Recovering From Cancer
Coping with cancer and cancer treatments can disrupt a person's life for a while.
People with cancer often need to get support from lots of different places to take care of the things they have to get done. For example, teens with cancer may need the help of a home tutor to get schoolwork done and adults with cancer may need help with housework or their jobs. And lots of people talk to therapists or professional counselors about the emotional side of dealing with a health problem.
You may hear doctors talk about a prognosis for someone with cancer. A prognosis is an estimate of how well that person's treatment is working and how likely it is that the cancer will come back.

After surgery or treatment with radiation or chemotherapy, a doctor will do tests to see if the cancer is still there. If there are no signs of cancer, then that person is in remission. Remission is the goal when anyone with cancer goes to the hospital for treatment. Sometimes, additional treatment, such as chemotherapy, might be needed for a while to keep someone in remission and to keep cancer cells from coming back.
Cancer Screenings/ Prevention
(Girls) Your doctor should provide a breast screening every one to three years starting in your late teens and 20’s. You should practice monthly self- breast exam every month starting now and continue throughout your life.
Mammograms are low dose x rays that can find lumps in breast tissue before you can feel it. Usually women have their first mammograms around age 35-40 with yearly mammograms after 40. The frequency of mammograms may decrease as women get older but that should be discussed with her doctor.
During a Pap test, a doctor scrapes off cells from a girl’s cervix. A common recommendation is that you should get your first Pap test done by age 21 and every two years after that. Colon cancer screenings are suggested for both men and women at age 50. Starting at age 50, men should talk to their doctor about the pros and cons of prostate screening. Self-testicular exams should be routinely preformed (monthly) and your doctor should examine your testicles at yearly physicals.
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How to do testicular self-exam
The best time to do the self-exam is during or after a bath or shower, when the skin of the scrotum is relaxed. To do a testicular self-exam:
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Hold your penis out of the way and check one testicle at a time.
Hold the testicle between your thumbs and fingers of both hands and roll it gently between your fingers.
Look and feel for any hard lumps or smooth rounded bumps or any change in the size, shape, or consistency of the testicles. Lumps may be as small as a piece of rice or a pea.
Examine one testicle at a time. You should be able to feel the epididymis (the sperm-carrying tube), which feels soft, rope-like, and slightly tender to pressure, and is located at the top of the back part of each testicle. This is a normal lump.
Although testicular cancer is rare in teenage guys, overall it is the most common cancer in males between the ages of 15 and 35. It's important to try to do a TSE every month so you can become familiar with the normal size and shape of your testicles, making it easier to tell if something feels different or abnormal in the future.
Remember that one testicle (usually the right one) is slightly larger than the other for most guys — this is also normal.
If you notice any swelling, lumps, or changes in the size or color of a testicle, or if you have any pain or achy areas in your groin, let your doctor know right away.
Lumps or swelling may not be cancer, but they should be checked by your doctor as soon as possible. Testicular cancer is almost always curable if it is caught and treated early.
http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/guys/tse.html

, your doctor may recommend more frequent screenings if you’re at higher risk.
-up every one to three years. If you’re in your 20s or 30s, your health care provider should perform a breast exam as part of your regular c If you’re in your exam as part of your regular check-up every one exam as part of your regular check-up every one to three years one to three years.
Reviewed by: Christopher N. Frantz, MD
Date reviewed: October 2013