There are no simple rules because each person and each situation is unique. It is important to know that four out of ten people treated for cancer this year, are expected to be alive 5 years after diagnosis. New treatments are continually being developed. Thus, the fear you might experience upon hearing that a friend or relative has cancer should be tempered with hope. There are more than 100 different types of cancer which can affect any part of the body.
Most cancers are treatable, and research is constantly improving treatment of all cancers.
The type of cancer and when it is diagnosed affects the way patients and their doctors cope with it. Cancer is not only an acute illness, but also a chronic one. Some people live many years with cancer. This not only means that the patient has to adjust to different types of treatment at different stages of the disease, but that family and friends are also called upon to adjust to these stages and treatments and to provide emotional support and hope along the way. After someone finds a lump or develops a symptom which requires the attention of a physician, there are usually days of uncertainty before test results are available.