How Cancer Starts and How to Fight It
Cancer is a disease that starts when cells grow and divide out of control. Cells are the basic units that make up all the tissues in your body, such as skin, bones and organs. Normally, your cells die when they become old or damaged and are replaced by new cells. But sometimes, abnormal genetic changes interfere with this process. Then, the cancerous (malignant) cells can spread to other parts of your body and form new tumors.
There are many different types of cancer, and each type develops in a different part of the body. For example, sarcomas grow in bones or soft tissue; carcinomas develop in the skin and other smooth tissue; and adenocarcinomas develop in the digestive tract. Cancer can also spread from one part of the body to another through your bloodstream, a process called metastasis.
The first step in fighting cancer is to remove the tumor if it has not spread. That may be done with surgery, a procedure that involves cutting away the tumor and the surrounding tissue. It can also be done with radiation, chemotherapy or both.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. The X-rays do not harm normal cells but can damage the tissue around the tumor. Chemotherapy is a treatment that kills cancer cells with drugs. It can be given by mouth or by injection into a vein (IV). It can be used alone, in combination with other treatments, to reduce the chances of cancer coming back after surgery or radiotherapy, and to relieve symptoms.
Several types of chemotherapy drugs are available, and each type works differently. Some types of chemotherapy cause side effects, such as vomiting and diarrhea. Other types of chemotherapy use targeted drugs that attack specific types of cancer cells without damaging other cells in your body.
Scientists now know more about how cancers begin and grow than ever before. They understand that a cancer typically results from a series of genetic changes (mutations) that accumulate over time in precancerous cells.
These mutations allow cancerous cells to ignore signals that normally stop cells from dividing or from dying. They can also evade the body’s defense systems and get into neighboring tissues where they can continue growing.
As scientists learn more about how cancers develop and grow, they are developing ways to prevent or treat them. These advances, together with improvements in screening and a reduction in tobacco use, are helping to reduce the number of people diagnosed with cancer each year.
Cancer is a disease that starts when cells grow and divide out of control. Cells are the basic units that make up all the tissues in your body, such as skin, bones and organs. Normally, your cells die when they become old or damaged and are replaced by new cells. But sometimes, abnormal genetic changes interfere with this process. Then, the cancerous (malignant) cells can spread to other parts of your body and form new tumors. There are many different types of cancer, and each type develops in a different part of the body. For example, sarcomas grow in bones or soft tissue; carcinomas develop in the skin and other smooth tissue; and adenocarcinomas develop in the digestive tract. Cancer can also spread from one part of the body to another through your bloodstream, a process called metastasis. The first step in fighting cancer is to remove the tumor if it has not spread. That may be done with surgery, a procedure that involves cutting away the tumor and the surrounding tissue. It can also be done with radiation, chemotherapy or both. Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. The X-rays do not harm normal cells but can damage the tissue around the tumor. Chemotherapy is a treatment that kills cancer cells with drugs. It can be given by mouth or by injection into a vein (IV). It can be used alone, in combination with other treatments, to reduce the chances of cancer coming back after surgery or radiotherapy, and to relieve symptoms. Several types of chemotherapy drugs are available, and each type works differently. Some types of chemotherapy cause side effects, such as vomiting and diarrhea. Other types of chemotherapy use targeted drugs that attack specific types of cancer cells without damaging other cells in your body. Scientists now know more about how cancers begin and grow than ever before. They understand that a cancer typically results from a series of genetic changes (mutations) that accumulate over time in precancerous cells. These mutations allow cancerous cells to ignore signals that normally stop cells from dividing or from dying. They can also evade the body’s defense systems and get into neighboring tissues where they can continue growing. As scientists learn more about how cancers develop and grow, they are developing ways to prevent or treat them. These advances, together with improvements in screening and a reduction in tobacco use, are helping to reduce the number of people diagnosed with cancer each year.