Cancer. It’s one of the most dreaded words in the English language. You might shy away from learning about health conditions that scare you, like cancer. But knowledge of cancer and its treatments will empower you to help prevent its occurrence, understand your options and maybe even save your life. Here are 5 of the top cancers that occur in the U.S. You probably know a person who has been affected by at least one.

• Breast cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Lung cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Melanoma (skin) cancer

Cancer is a large group of diseases with many differences, but they all have one thing in common: abnormal cells growing out of control. As the cells multiply unchecked, they create a malignant tumor, what you might call cancer. Tumors aren’t always solid – they can be in the blood, too.

There are multiple types of cancer medications: either chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Some cancers, if caught early, are easy to treat, while others may require any combination of radiation, surgery, or drug treatment. Finding a knowledgeable and compassionate cancer (oncology) healthcare team is important. Rely on your family and friends for support, too.

When something alters the cell DNA, cancer cells can begin to grow. A genetic predisposition for cancer is one of the most common risk factors for developing cancer. For example, if your mom had breast cancer, your chances of developing it may be higher. Other non-genetic cancer risk factors include:

• Estrogen exposure in women
• Too much ionizing radiation, like x-rays or nuclear
• Too much ultraviolet radiation, like UVB rays from the sun
• Cancer causing chemicals, like asbestos or benzene
• Tobacco smoke, heavy use of alcohol

Chemotherapy (‘chemo’) is the use of anti-cancer drugs which kill rapidly-dividing cells in different ways – for example, by damaging DNA, halting cell division, or blocking cell metabolism. Chemotherapy can be given intravenously into a vein, by mouth, by injection into a muscle, applied to the skin, or in other ways. Many types of chemotherapy can be given at home or in an outpatient setting by a nurse.

Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles according to a protocol. One or several chemo drugs may be given over a period of time, (daily, weekly or monthly) with rest periods between treatment when no medicine is received.

Chemotherapy works by destroying cancer cells, but many treatments affect the healthy cells, too. Side effects of chemotherapy are usually due to the drugs effect on the healthy cells.

You have probably heard about many of these side effects:

• hair loss
• nausea and vomiting
• increased risk of infections
• fatigue
• anemia

and the list goes on. Years of research have allowed health care professionals to know how to help you cope with the side effects of chemotherapy. There are treatments your doctor can use to reduce many of the side effects.

Hair loss is one of the most dreaded aspects of chemotherapy, even though other side effects may be more severe from a biological aspect. Hair loss can affect your self-confidence, lower your mood, and cause stress.

There is some good news – not all cancer drugs lead to hair loss. For those that do, it may range from thinning to complete baldness and will affect all areas of the body with hair. The other good news, hair loss due to chemo is not permanent. Hair usually begins to grow back 2 to 3 weeks after the last treatment. Many patients prefer to cut their hair short before treatment begins to lessen the psychological impact of hair loss.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) can occur quickly, within the first 24 hours of chemotherapy, or it can be delayed (after 24 hours). You might also have anticipatory nausea/vomiting before your treatments. Chemotherapy results in the release of chemicals such as serotonin (5-HT3) in the intestine which can lead to the nausea/vomiting side effects.

The goal is to prevent chemo-induced nausea and vomiting, or to minimize it as best as possible. Today, there are very effective treatments for CINV. Drug treatments from the class known as 5-HT3 inhibitors are ground-breaking drugs for CINV.

In general, the 5-HT3 inhibitors are well tolerated and have less side effects than older medicines given for nausea and vomiting, like promethazine (Phenergan). They can be given as an injection, by mouth as a pill, or as a patch for the skin.

The most common side effects might include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea or constipation, muscle cramps, and fatigue. You may have an increased risk for a very rare side effect called serotonin syndrome, so be sure to have a drug interaction review. Tell your doctor if you’ve had an allergic reaction to any other 5HT3 inhibitor drug.

Cancer therapies are moving toward ‘targeted’ treatments – therapies that interfere with specific cancer-causing molecular targets that promote cancer growth. Immunotherapies are one example of next-generation cancer treatments. Targeted therapies are known as personalized medicines, as they work in conjunction with a person’s individual genetics to target cancer. In fact, many targeted therapies have already been FDA-approved.

Although researchers expect targeted therapies to be easier to tolerate than traditional chemotherapies, there are still significant side effects, like diarrhea, skin problems and liver toxicity. In contrast, traditional chemotherapy acts against all cells that are growing and dividing – normal and cancerous cells.