Cancer – What is It and How Can It Affect You?
Cancer is a disease that develops when the cells in your body start growing and dividing out of control. It can spread to other parts of your body, where it forms new tumours or may pass on to other people through the blood or lymph system.
Cancer occurs when the genetic instructions in your cells are damaged or lost. These instructions, called genes, control how the cell grows and divides. They also determine whether a cell will keep growing or stop. Each cell has many genes, which are long chains of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) that contain the code for the building blocks of every living organism. Cancer-causing mutations usually accumulate over a long period of time and affect different parts of the cell in a different way.
Most cancers start in cells that line blood vessels or lines muscle tissue. These cells can become precancerous or cancerous and grow and reproduce quickly. As these cells continue to multiply and evolve, they accumulate more and more changes in their DNA. These changes are what make them different from normal cells. Over time, these mutations can cause cells to begin to grow and divide without control and form tumours.
A tumour is a mass of abnormal cells that can grow into nearby tissues and structures, including nerves, bones, skin, or organs. The tumour can block the flow of blood through the area and prevent the normal cells from getting enough oxygen or nutrients. Cancer cells also break down or destroy normal tissue when they grow and spread.
Some types of cancer start in the blood, such as leukaemia or lymphoma. These cancers aren’t considered solid tumours, but rather a disease that affects the blood and bone marrow.
The first signs of cancer may be pain or a lump in your skin. Other symptoms include feeling tired or being unable to concentrate. Cancer can also cause you to lose weight or gain weight, and your bowel movements may change.
When a tumour is diagnosed, tests will be done to find out how big it is and how much it has spread from where it started. This information is used to decide which treatments are best for you. Your doctor will talk to you about the stage of your cancer.
In recent years, researchers have transformed the way that cancer is treated. There are now more treatment options than ever before, and doctors are better able to find many cancers in their early stages and treat them before they can spread. Some cancers can still sneak past the immune system, but there are ways to help your body fight back. Some treatments use special medicines to “mark” cancer cells so that your immune system can find them more easily. Others use heat, radiation or chemicals to kill cancer cells or make them shrink. Other therapies use stem cells to replace your cancerous or damaged ones and stop them from forming more tumours. These types of treatments are called immunotherapy.
Cancer is a disease that develops when the cells in your body start growing and dividing out of control. It can spread to other parts of your body, where it forms new tumours or may pass on to other people through the blood or lymph system. Cancer occurs when the genetic instructions in your cells are damaged or lost. These instructions, called genes, control how the cell grows and divides. They also determine whether a cell will keep growing or stop. Each cell has many genes, which are long chains of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) that contain the code for the building blocks of every living organism. Cancer-causing mutations usually accumulate over a long period of time and affect different parts of the cell in a different way. Most cancers start in cells that line blood vessels or lines muscle tissue. These cells can become precancerous or cancerous and grow and reproduce quickly. As these cells continue to multiply and evolve, they accumulate more and more changes in their DNA. These changes are what make them different from normal cells. Over time, these mutations can cause cells to begin to grow and divide without control and form tumours. A tumour is a mass of abnormal cells that can grow into nearby tissues and structures, including nerves, bones, skin, or organs. The tumour can block the flow of blood through the area and prevent the normal cells from getting enough oxygen or nutrients. Cancer cells also break down or destroy normal tissue when they grow and spread. Some types of cancer start in the blood, such as leukaemia or lymphoma. These cancers aren’t considered solid tumours, but rather a disease that affects the blood and bone marrow. The first signs of cancer may be pain or a lump in your skin. Other symptoms include feeling tired or being unable to concentrate. Cancer can also cause you to lose weight or gain weight, and your bowel movements may change. When a tumour is diagnosed, tests will be done to find out how big it is and how much it has spread from where it started. This information is used to decide which treatments are best for you. Your doctor will talk to you about the stage of your cancer. In recent years, researchers have transformed the way that cancer is treated. There are now more treatment options than ever before, and doctors are better able to find many cancers in their early stages and treat them before they can spread. Some cancers can still sneak past the immune system, but there are ways to help your body fight back. Some treatments use special medicines to “mark” cancer cells so that your immune system can find them more easily. Others use heat, radiation or chemicals to kill cancer cells or make them shrink. Other therapies use stem cells to replace your cancerous or damaged ones and stop them from forming more tumours. These types of treatments are called immunotherapy.