Cancer is diagnosed in approximately 1 out of every 3 individuals within the United States of America, so more than likely you or someone that you know has experienced this disease. Below is some informative content to help you understand cancer better.
What is Cancer?
The human body contains trillions of cells that normally grow, divide, and die. Cancer begins when the process goes wrong. Rather than dying, old or abnormal cells keep multiplying without control, leading to more cells than the body needs. Cancer cells might crowd out normal cells, interrupting the way of functions in the body.
Kinds of Cancer
It can come in any part of the body and is named for the location where it began. For example, if it began in the breast, it may be referred to as breast cancer, even though it may have spread to other parts of the body.
There are two broad categories of cancer- Hematologic (Blood) Cancers: These include leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
- Tumors, Solid Tumor Cancers: Generally affect organs or tissues; including breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers, among others.
Benign Tumors are benign, which means they are not cancerous, and grow slowly. They do not invade the adjacent tissues or metastasize to other parts of the body. However, when they become large enough, they can cause problems due to compression of adjacent structures. Surgery is usually the mainstay of therapy alone or with the addition of radiation or drugs. This is a very important fact-that benign tumors are not cancers.
Malignant tumors, also known as cancer, grow more aggressively and penetrate into the tissues surrounding them. Other types of cancers can spread through the bloodstream or lymph system or metastasize throughout the body. For the most part, malignant tumors are treated aggressively with treatments like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Causes and Risk Factors
Cancer results from mutation caused by some genetic defects. Some come from lifestyle habits, others from inherited predispositions and even caused by environmental carcinogens. In most cases, the cause cannot be distinguished.
Cancer Staging
The term stage of cancer refers to the extent of spread in the body. Lower stages, such as stage 1 or 2, reflect minimal spread; a higher one, such as stage 3 or 4, suggests much more-extensive involvement and is at its most extreme with stage 4. Knowledge of the stage of cancer is important in determining the appropriate treatment.
Cancer Metastasis
Malignant tumours may metastasize or spread from the original site to any other place of the body. Once cancer cells break away from the primary tumour, they can go through the bloodstream as well as through the lymph system in other places. While most of these cells die, some might survive to create new tumours, and, thus, metastatic cancer.
Treatment Options
Numerous cancer treatments exist depending on the type and stage of the cancer. It depends on what will work best, some with surgery, others with chemotherapy, while others require radiation therapy, or all of them. It is at the health-care provider's discretion to decide which type of treatment is desired.
Hope in Treatment
Continuing to advance methods of treating cancer, the medical field assures many patients that cancer can be effectively treated. More and more individuals are living productive lives following successful treatment today. Medical research brings better outcomes for patients every day.
