Social Security Attorney

Norfolk, Newport News, and Roanoke, Virginia

 

Cancer

 

It is an unfortunate fact that most people have a loved one or friend who is currently living with or has died from cancer. Cancer is a disease that does not discriminate. The term “cancer” is an umbrella term for a collection of more than 100 different diseases in which abnormal cells begin to grow and spread uncontrollably in the body. These cancer cells do not die but rather continue to multiply, attacking other healthy tissues, organs, and blood vessels throughout the body and leaving harmful tumors in their wake.

The American Cancer Society has reported that cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. In 2008, there were more than 1.4 million cases of cancer recorded. Some of the most common types of cancer included:

• Lung and bronchus
• Prostate
• Breast
• Colon and rectum

Categories of Cancer

The different types of cancers fall into broader categories, depending on where the cancer first develops. The main categories include:

• Carcinoma: skin or tissues supporting internal organs
• Sarcoma: soft, supportive tissues, such as blood vessels, muscle, fat or cartilage
• Lymphoma: immune or lymph system
• Central nervous system: brain and spinal cord
• Leukemia: blood-forming tissues and cells

Symptoms of Cancer

There are a variety of symptoms that a person can experience, depending on the type of cancer that has invaded the body. Anyone experiencing recurring or continual strange symptoms should consult a physician. Cancer symptoms can include:

• Bowel or bladder dysfunction
• Pain
• Extreme fatigue
• Lumps under the skin
• Changes in weight
• Changes in skin color or moles
• Difficulty swallowing
• Continual cough or hoarseness
• Indigestion
• Fever

Treatment Options

Some forms of cancer can be completely erased from the body using different techniques. Other cancers are more difficult to beat. Even when a person's success percentage is high for beating the odds, the treatment options themselves can make daily living difficult and cause a person's job performance to suffer or halt altogether. Treatment options include:

• Radiation
• Chemotherapy
• Surgery
• Hormone therapy
• Targeted drug therapy
• Biological therapy
• Stem cell transplant
• Clinical trials

While there are thousands of people who die every day from the disease, there are also more and more survivors of this disease. This is due, in part, to early detection, medical advances and successful treatment options.

Living with cancer can be financially, physically and emotionally draining. If you and your family are suffering from this disease, social security attorneys Kalfus & Nachman in Virginia can help you fight for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits to ease some of your pain. Please contact us today. A free SSDI consultation is just a phone call or click away.