In the United States today, it has been estimated that three new cancer cases will be diagnosed and one cancer-related death will occur every minute, totaling 4,630 cancer cases and 1,650 cancer-related deaths a day, and 1,688,780 new cancer cases and 600,920 deaths a year (“Cancer Statistics Center”). Cancer, explained very simply, is a cell or group of cells that continue to survive and grow longer than their proper, predetermined life span. Due to this uncontrollable growth, normal cells and tissues become negatively affected by these abnormal cells, causing many functions in the body to shut down and not work properly. Cancerous masses and tumors are sometimes surgically removed. Other times patients are prescribed chemotherapy, or treated with radiation therapy in hopes of curing the disease (“What Is Cancer?”).
Chemotherapy is the “administration of chemical substances for the treatment of disease, especially cancer or for the aberrant growth of cells or tissues (neoplasms).” With the use of these harsh and abrasive chemicals, many adverse side effects can be experienced by the cancer sufferer. Some of these side effects include permanent damage to a person’s organs or organ systems, the killing and destroying of healthy cells,
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Some of these effects include, hormonal changes, hyperalgesia, which is an increased sensitivity towards pain, extreme sedation and drowsiness, sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, constipation, and bladder dysfunction. Furthermore, opioids are highly addictive, creating a long-term dependence on the drugs, and can eventually lose their effectiveness with long-term use (Benyamin, Trescot and Datta). In trying to help cancer-sufferers treat and manage their symptoms, more unfavorable side effects and difficulties can be