• Question: Which cancers cause long term problems? I suppose they all do, but which have the most severe consequences?

    Asked by crayon to Clare, Mariana, Pedro, Robert, Susanne on 12 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Susanne Muekusch

      Susanne Muekusch answered on 12 Nov 2012:

      Hi crayon,

      Do you mean long-term problems other than the cancer itsself? In this case, the long-term problems are related to where the cancer is located, because cancer very often interferes with the normal function of the organ it is growing in. Even if the cancer is removed, the normal tissue in that area is destroyed. Depending on the organ and the extent of the damage, the organ will function just fine, or the patient will suffer from function loss of that organ.

      For brain cancer patients that could mean impairment of their vision or their ability to move or to speak. For stomach cancer patients it could mean that they would need an artificial stomach. For patients with eye cancer it could mean they will loose an eye.
      And so on…

      The most severe direct consequence of all types of cancer is death.

      Did that answer your question?

    • Photo: Clare Taylor

      Clare Taylor answered on 13 Nov 2012:

      That’s a really difficult question to answer because the different forms of cancer all have different effects. As Susanne says, often it is related to the location and function of any organs that are affected. If parts of, or whole organs have to be removed this can cause long-term problems. Sometimes long-term problems can happen because of cancer treatment, such as in the case of childhood cancers. When very young people get cancer, their bodies are still growing and developing and treatment like chemotherapy and radiotherapy can have really serious effects that can affect a person for their whole life, even if the cancer itself is successfully treated. This is just one of the reasons that so many scientists are trying to find different ways to treat cancer without the harmful effects of chemo- and radiotherapy.

    • Photo: Robert Insall

      Robert Insall answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      Chemotherapy and radiotherapy both have long-term effects on fertility, and both can cause cancers themselves. But in each case, better to have the treatment and risk the future consequences than to keep the cancer and risk dying.

Comments