Kaposi Sarcoma
Cancer Story
I am a cancer cell inside of my host. His name is Pablo and he is 32 years old.
Of all skin cancers, Pablo has one of the least common, Kaposi Sarcoma. It developed firstly on his liver and progressed to the skin on his back. It appeared as cutaneous lesions and was diagnosed once they were visible.
As a tumor cell inside the body of Pablo, I can see all that is going on. Pablo’s cancer was caused by the human herpesvirus 8, which he had a few years ago. Kaposi Sarcoma is a skin cancer that grows tumors and lesions on different parts of the body. The tumors that form from the KS have a bruise-like look that are caused by the vascular channels that filled with blood cells. The lesions also contain tumor cells with an elongated shape, which are spindle cells. I am a spindle cell. The tumor is vascular which means it contains extremely dense and irregular blood vessels that leak red blood cells into the surrounding tissue, which also give the tumors/lesions it’s dark, bruise-like appearance.
I first formed as a lesion on Pablo’s liver, this is my home. I am a part of a tumor that continues to grow on the liver and the cancer has now spread to Pablo’s back.
When Pablo went to the doctor, the lesions on his back were obvious, but the KS that was present on the liver had not been found. They proceeded with a biopsy and tests to do a diagnosis. They detected the KS and confirmed the diagnosis.
The treatment that Pablo received was chemotherapy. This was injected into his injected into him to reach the cancer cells throughout his body. The anticancer drug in the chemotherapy helped to kill and stop the cancer cells from reproducing. KS is not curable but can be treated for a long time. This is what Pablo has been doing for quite a while now. He lives his life normally with his children and his wife with minimal pain but still has continuous chemotherapy and other doctor appointments to ensure the tumors are not getting much worse.
The Making of the Cancer Story
- What questions did you need to research in order to create your cancer story?
– In order for me to write my cancer story I researched how the cancer starts and how to treat it, I also searched how you can get diagnosed and how to know if you have the cancer itself. I Also researched how it can affect your body and what age and gender it is most common in.
- What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use as you worked through this project?
– I cited my sources using a cite called easy bib, it helped me put the cites i used into the right format so I could show what sites I had used. I cancer sites like the National cancer institute and cancer Canada, these sources helped me answer a lot of my questions.
- What was the process you used to investigate the topic?
– I first searched how the cancer starts and how many more different types of sarcoma there was, then I searched how common it was in certain ages and then how it starts and how it can be treated.
- How did you verify and cite the information you found?
– I first used the school library to search the websites up and then looked at the reviews, i also looked on many sites to make sure my information was correct and accurate. After that i used easybib to cite all my main sources of information.
- How did the process of completing this challenge go? What could you have done better?
– From beginning to end I thought I was focused and i couldn’t have hoped for a better final project, I feel if I was a little bit more organized i could have pulled something even better off.
Websites I used
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/kaposis-sarcoma#297676
“Not Found What You’re Looking For?” Kaposi’s Sarcoma – Understanding Cancer – Macmillan Cancer Support. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2017.
https://www.cancer.gov/types/soft-tissue-sarcoma/patient/kaposi-treatment-pdq
“Kaposi Sarcoma Treatment.” National Cancer Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2017.
https://medlineplus.gov/kaposissarcoma.html
“Kaposi’s Sarcoma | KS | Kaposi Sarcoma | MedlinePlus.” MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2017.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/279734-overview
“Kaposi Sarcoma.” Practice Essentials, Epidemiology, Background. N.p., 06 Jan. 2017. Web. 28 May 2017.