Shannon BrownMr. PontesEnglish 12 cum laudeMay 19, 2014According to SEER statistics, an estimated 23,380 people will be diagnosed with brain or nervous system cancer. Of these people, an estimated 14,320 will die as a result of being diagnosed with brain or nervous system cancer (National Cancer Institute). Cancer is a type of dangerous tumor, or a buildup of extra cells that form a mass of tissue, that can be life-threatening (National Cancer Institute). The term for a cancerous tumor is a malignant tumor, while a benign tumor contains no cancer cells (National Cancer Institute). According to the National Cancer Institute, the causes of brain cancer are unknown, but risk factors include family history and excessive radiation exposure. While not always due to a brain tumor, common symptoms include headache, nausea, speech, hearing, vision and mood changes, balance and memory problems, seizures, and numbness in the arms and legs (National Cancer Institute ). MRI, CT, and surgical biopsies (or removal of the part of the tumor to be examined) are used to diagnose brain cancer (National Cancer Institute). Different types of treatment options include radiation therapy, surgery to remove the tumor, and chemotherapy. According to Charles Davis, MD, PhD and Nitin Tandon, MD of WebMD.com, chemotherapy is "the use of powerful drugs to kill cancer cells." There are different types of chemotherapy, but they all cause the same types of side effects. Although the physical side effects of chemotherapy are commonly known, few people know what emotional impact it can have on a patient and their family during this process. The different types of chemotherapy include... half of paper ......essential episodes (CareNotes). While receiving chemo, patients may acquire other problems, such as loss of appetite, less energy, mouth sores, pain throughout the body, increased heart rate, cough or breathing problems, and confusion (CareNotes). According to CareNotes, patients must stay away from sick people, due to a weakened immune system, and must drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. While the physical side effects can be quite terrible to deal with, the emotional side effects for a patient undergoing chemotherapy can be just as harmful, if not worse. Eighteen-year-old Jason Corinha was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) at the age of thirteen. LCH is a rare form of cancer in which the tumor is made up of white blood cells. This tumor grows between the brain and skull, causing great pressure and pain in the head.