How to Cope With Cancer Fear
By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com senior editor
Sad and scary cancer announcements have come fast and furious the past couple of weeks. Yesterday, beloved Philadelphia Eagles coach Jim Johnson lost his battle with metastatic melanoma at the age of 68. Younger fans were horrified last week when Beastie Boys lead singer Adam Yauch cancelled the band's summer festival gigs, announcing apologetically on YouTube that he had a throat tumor. News reports have carried the sad information that Ted Kennedy is losing the ability to speak, as he watches the debate about health care reform -- a cause he's championed his entire career -- from home.
Just a few weeks ago, it seems, we were talking about Farrah Fawcett's tragic death from anal cancer, and the tabloids follow poor Patrick Swayze relentlessly to check whether he's still alive -- his death was mistakenly announced on Twitter one day, causing a flurry of anxiety and retractions. Then there's been all the controversy swirling around Apple's Steve Jobs, who reportedly relocated to Tennessee, where it's easier to get a liver transplant in his battle against what may or may not be metastatic pancreatic cancer. It's upsetting.
I thought it might be helpful to put things in perspective with the American Cancer Society's projections for 2009 deaths from cancer, which are startling. They show:
• Cancer is the second leading cause of death, following closely after heart disease.
• Cancer kills 23 percent of all those who will die this year; heart disease kills 26 percent.
• By contrast, the number of people who die from all other killers is much smaller. Stroke? 5 percent. Accidents? 5 percent. Alzheimer's disease? 3 percent.
• Cancer kills men and women almost equally; 292,540 men are projected to die from cancer this year, and 269,800 women will die.
• Of these, lung cancer will kill 30 percent of all men, and 26 percent of all women.
• Next comes breast cancer, which will kill 15 percent of all women who die.
• Prostate and colon cancer both account for 9 percent of deaths.
• Pancreatic cancer accounts for 6 percent of deaths for both men and women.
Feeling a little scared? You're in good company; I think that's why these news alerts circulate so fast. Cancer really frightens us, especially those of us who've been close to someone who died of cancer.
But we can turn these fears to good use by using them to spur us to action. The vast number of these deaths occurred because the cancer wasn't discovered until it had spread beyond its original tumor site. In most cases, cancer caught early is curable. So what's the best weapon against cancer? Catching it early with screening tests. Next week I'll delve deeper into this topic, with advice on the tests every man and woman should have this year to avoid ending up as one of the ACS's sad statistics.
We can also use our fear as a motivator to make lifestyle changes that can vastly reduce our risk of getting cancer, a topic I covered in a previous post. Would knowing that 30 percent of all the men who die of cancer this year will die from lung cancer persuade you to stop smoking? Would knowing that 45 percent of colon cancers are preventable persuade you to cut down your red meat and alcohol consumption, lose weight, and exercise more?
Only you can say. But I find that, for me, the best way to cope with my fear of cancer is to do something to protect myself or a loved one, whether that's taking a walk, cooking up a healthy veggie stir fry, or making an appointment for a mammogram. Try it, and let me know what you think.
My prayers are with the person who posted the first comment. Sometimes we do everything we are supposed to do, and we still don't find health issues in the earliest stages. Cancer is never "fair" and is has affected too many of my own friends and relatives. One of my healthiest friends has stage IV lymphoma (going on 7 years). I have two friends who were diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, 9 and 8 years ago respectively. Both are still alive. And a friend who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1993--still alive and going strong.
I ama a female and just turned 60, and have always gone in for my annual physicals, or any other time I was not feeling well. Two years ago I got my first colonoscopy and was told no polps all was clear. Last year I noticed my energy level droping and a feeling like there was something in my lower abdomen. I thought it was my female organs having a problem. I had no pain. My doctor said I was a little anemic and could not feel or see anything with the exam. Around February I started having pain in my lower right side. I thought it was my ovary. I was still feeling tired a lot. In March I went to the doctor again complaining of pain when I bent ove to put my shoes on. I had a pelvic ultrasound and nothing howed up. However, my blood test showed that I was iron deficient. My doctor sent me for a CT scan, which showed I had a mass in my colon! On June 1 I had a surgery to remove 12" inches of my colon. The mass was cancer, stage 3. The only reason why I had pain was because the cancer started in my appendix then went through to the colon. The doctor took 24 of my lymph nodes out and 4 were positive for cancer. My margins were clear. The surgeon said they got all the cancer, but I would need six months of chemotherapy as a preventative measure. When I say the oncologist he ordered a PET scan, which unfortunately for me, showed 3 cancer spots on my liver, one just outside my liver and some small spots near my stomach which they were not sure of. So now I am on a chemotherapy schedule, just finished my second session. So even though I did was I was supposd to do, annual exams, my colonoscopy, somehow this cancer was missed. How upsetting this has been for me and my family. Two years ago if the doctor had found it during the colonoscopy, maybe it would have been a stage 1 or 2 and not spread to my other organs. My prognosis? I don't know. I will be starting a 3rd medication with my 3rd chemo session. The medication is Avstin, which I hear is a very good life saving drug.