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Show CANCER Answerlline American Cancer Society A regular feature, prepared by the American Cancer Society, to help save your life from cancer. A supermarket employee asks: "Is radiation therapy only a last ditch' form of treatment for cancer"? ANSWERIine: No. Radiation therapy is one of the useful tools that medicine has to control cancer, a tool that can be used in many ways. It can be the sole means of treatment; it can be used as pre or post-operative therapy to increase the effectiveness of surgery; it can be meaningfully meaning-fully combined with chemotherapy; chemo-therapy; it can be used to reduce pain, bleeding, or the pressure that a tumor can put on vital organs. In today's cancer treatment, radiation therapy is tailored to each patient's condition and needs for maximum individual benefit. A secretary asks: "What harm do aerosols do? They are very convenient, and I certainly certain-ly wouldn't like them to be taken off the market unless there is a good reason." ANSWERIine: For some time now, scientists and environmentalists environ-mentalists have been concerned concern-ed that the fluorocarbons used to activate such sprays may be gathering in the atmosphere to such an extent that it may threaten the protective ozone layer which keeps many of the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays from reaching earth. These are the rays that cause skin cancer. In September, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report that recommended recom-mended within two years, establishment of new regulations regula-tions regarding the use of aerosol sprays. During the two-year "waiting period," scientific teams in ma y nations are carefully observing the stratosphere using rockets and satellites for a better understanding of just what is happening. A woman writes: "I am 40 years old, and I am concerned concern-ed because both my grandmother grand-mother and my mother developed de-veloped breast cancer wien they were in their 50's. I nad planned to have breast x-rays this year but I don't know what to do because there have been a lot of news stories saying that women of my age should not have mammography mammo-graphy that it's dangerous. What should I do?" ANSWERIine: There is some question about the value of doing routine mammographic screening for breast cancer among women under 50. However, because of your family history, it is extremely important for you to both be under a physician's care and to have mammography if recommended. You are at slightly higher risk of developing develop-ing breast cancer but that, of course, does not mean that you actually will. Mammography Mammo-graphy is an excellent way to find the disease early when it is highly curable. You are wise to want to protect yourself, your-self, and if you have any additional questions, please contact your local American Cancer Society Unit. |