CANCER IS a disease with both devastating and morbid impacts on the lives of people all over the world. Even the word "cancer" is a touchy subject given its high mortality rate and painful treatment options. "It [cancer] is the second leading cause of death in the United States following diseases of the heart" (Carter 1). The trouble with cancer is its many forms. Each form of cancer is indirectly linked to the others. Responses to drugs differ depending on the location of the disease and each has a different potential for early detection, prevention, and treatment. Depending on location, speed of cell division, and metastasizing capabilities, " the transfer of a disease-producing agency from the site of disease to another part of the body" (), each form of cancer has a different approach to treatment and each has a different likelihood of success. In recent years, many different approaches have been made to cure all forms of this fatal disease. This monstrous disease which strikes fear into the hearts of all people has no certain cure, however, with the research that is being done each day to bring us closer to a cure and the many helpful treatments that have been discovered and put to use, with time and trial, this disease will no longer be a death sentence, but a manageable illness.
Cancer is a growing household name. ". . . in 1900 one in thirty deaths in Germany was due to cancer. Today it is one in five." (Suss 1). The first method for decreased rate of cancer cases is not something that any physician can do. Knowledge of cancer-causing substances is a key factor in prevention. Our environment is infested with carcinogens. These include the millions of chemicals in cigarette smoke, both first and second hand, ERT, the hormone used in birth control pills and in Hormone Replacement Therapy (), even quinoline, which is produced during direct cooking involving the high heating of foods such as meat and eggs (