Cancer – What is It?
Cancer is a disease that happens when cells in the body grow and divide too fast. Normal cells only grow and divide when the body sends them signals to do so. They also stop growing and die when the body sends them signals to do that. Cancer cells don’t follow those rules and grow out of control, forming a mass of abnormal cells called a tumor (say: T-uh-mer). These cancer cells often group or clump together and can damage nearby tissue. They may also spread to other parts of the body through the blood or lymph (say: LY-moh) system.
Cancers are named for the organ or tissue where they begin, such as lung cancer, liver cancer or brain cancer. They can also be named for the type of cell that formed them, such as breast cancer or leukemia (say: LY-moh-lee). Cancers are also classified by how fast they grow and spread. Fast-growing cancers are more likely to be deadly than slow-growing cancers.
Cells become cancerous when they acquire mutations (say: MUT-tur-mun-tiehs). Mutations change the way a cell functions. Mutations may be caused by things like viruses or chemicals. They may also be caused by errors that happen during the process of cell division, which is how the body makes new cells.
When a cell has too many mutations, it starts to grow and divide without control. This leads to more and more errors that make the cell grow even faster than it should. The mutations that cause a cell to turn into cancer are called oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. When these genes mutate, the cell loses the ability to stop growing and dying.
There are a lot of different ways to treat cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Some people also have other types of treatment, such as hormone therapy or targeted therapy.
Some kinds of cancer can be hard to fight because the cells can dodge your immune system or trick it into not fighting them. Some of the newest treatments try to change that by “marking” cancer cells so they are easier for your immune system to find and destroy.
Taking steps to prevent cancer is the best way to protect your health. Ways to reduce your risk include eating a balanced diet, being physically active and not smoking. Avoiding processed meats and limiting how much red meat you eat can also help lower your risk of some types of cancer. Try to get about 30 to 40 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. Avoiding alcohol is a good idea, too. Women should not have more than two alcoholic drinks a day, and men should limit their intake to one.
Cancer is a disease that happens when cells in the body grow and divide too fast. Normal cells only grow and divide when the body sends them signals to do so. They also stop growing and die when the body sends them signals to do that. Cancer cells don’t follow those rules and grow out of control, forming a mass of abnormal cells called a tumor (say: T-uh-mer). These cancer cells often group or clump together and can damage nearby tissue. They may also spread to other parts of the body through the blood or lymph (say: LY-moh) system. Cancers are named for the organ or tissue where they begin, such as lung cancer, liver cancer or brain cancer. They can also be named for the type of cell that formed them, such as breast cancer or leukemia (say: LY-moh-lee). Cancers are also classified by how fast they grow and spread. Fast-growing cancers are more likely to be deadly than slow-growing cancers. Cells become cancerous when they acquire mutations (say: MUT-tur-mun-tiehs). Mutations change the way a cell functions. Mutations may be caused by things like viruses or chemicals. They may also be caused by errors that happen during the process of cell division, which is how the body makes new cells. When a cell has too many mutations, it starts to grow and divide without control. This leads to more and more errors that make the cell grow even faster than it should. The mutations that cause a cell to turn into cancer are called oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. When these genes mutate, the cell loses the ability to stop growing and dying. There are a lot of different ways to treat cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Some people also have other types of treatment, such as hormone therapy or targeted therapy. Some kinds of cancer can be hard to fight because the cells can dodge your immune system or trick it into not fighting them. Some of the newest treatments try to change that by “marking” cancer cells so they are easier for your immune system to find and destroy. Taking steps to prevent cancer is the best way to protect your health. Ways to reduce your risk include eating a balanced diet, being physically active and not smoking. Avoiding processed meats and limiting how much red meat you eat can also help lower your risk of some types of cancer. Try to get about 30 to 40 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. Avoiding alcohol is a good idea, too. Women should not have more than two alcoholic drinks a day, and men should limit their intake to one.