The Basics of Cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases that develop in the cells of your body. It’s a life-threatening condition that can take many years to occur and, when it does, exerts significant physical, emotional and financial strain on individuals, their families and communities. In the United States, more than 39.5 percent of people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives.
Normally, your body makes new cells as it needs them, replacing old ones that die. These new cells grow and divide until they’re too large for the cell to function properly. Those extra cells then form a mass called a tumor. Benign tumors aren’t cancer, but malignant ones can spread to other parts of the body and cause problems with normal function.
The growth and division of cells are controlled by a set of signals that your body sends to the cells. These include growth factors, cell-cell adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix components. When your body’s signals are disrupted, your cell’s ability to divide and multiply becomes uncontrollable.
These mutations are caused by many things, such as lifestyle habits, genes that you get from your parents and exposure to certain environmental factors. Some mutations, such as the BRCA gene, are known to increase your risk of developing breast and prostate cancer.
Other mutations in your genes are a result of certain abnormalities that can happen within your cells. These changes can be triggered by exposure to chemicals, radiation or viruses.
When these mutations become too common, they trigger cancer. It’s still not clear how many mutations are needed for a cell to start to behave in this way.
How a Normal Cell Changes into a Cancer Cell
A normal cell will not divide unless it receives outside signals that tell it to enter the cell cycle, the process that leads to cellular reproduction (the growth and division of cells). These signals come from growth factors, cell-cell adhesions and extracellular matrix components.
Once a cancer cell begins to behave in this way, it will have a tendency to keep growing and spreading. This is known as metastatic cancer. A metastasis can occur anywhere in the body, but it usually occurs in a different organ or lymph node than the primary site of the cancer.
This can lead to the spread of the cancer to other places in the body, or it can cause new tumors to form. The new tumors are called secondary cancers.
When the cancer is localized, it can be treated by surgery. If it has spread to the lymph nodes or other areas of the body, your doctor might recommend chemotherapy or radiation therapy to treat the spread and shrink the tumors. These treatments can be very effective, but they may cause side effects.
There are also newer approaches to treating cancer, such as immunotherapy. Immunotherapy boosts your immune system’s response to cancer cells. It includes therapies like checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell transfer, which are used to treat some types of cancer.
Cancer is a group of diseases that develop in the cells of your body. It’s a life-threatening condition that can take many years to occur and, when it does, exerts significant physical, emotional and financial strain on individuals, their families and communities. In the United States, more than 39.5 percent of people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Normally, your body makes new cells as it needs them, replacing old ones that die. These new cells grow and divide until they’re too large for the cell to function properly. Those extra cells then form a mass called a tumor. Benign tumors aren’t cancer, but malignant ones can spread to other parts of the body and cause problems with normal function. The growth and division of cells are controlled by a set of signals that your body sends to the cells. These include growth factors, cell-cell adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix components. When your body’s signals are disrupted, your cell’s ability to divide and multiply becomes uncontrollable. These mutations are caused by many things, such as lifestyle habits, genes that you get from your parents and exposure to certain environmental factors. Some mutations, such as the BRCA gene, are known to increase your risk of developing breast and prostate cancer. Other mutations in your genes are a result of certain abnormalities that can happen within your cells. These changes can be triggered by exposure to chemicals, radiation or viruses. When these mutations become too common, they trigger cancer. It’s still not clear how many mutations are needed for a cell to start to behave in this way. How a Normal Cell Changes into a Cancer Cell A normal cell will not divide unless it receives outside signals that tell it to enter the cell cycle, the process that leads to cellular reproduction (the growth and division of cells). These signals come from growth factors, cell-cell adhesions and extracellular matrix components. Once a cancer cell begins to behave in this way, it will have a tendency to keep growing and spreading. This is known as metastatic cancer. A metastasis can occur anywhere in the body, but it usually occurs in a different organ or lymph node than the primary site of the cancer. This can lead to the spread of the cancer to other places in the body, or it can cause new tumors to form. The new tumors are called secondary cancers. When the cancer is localized, it can be treated by surgery. If it has spread to the lymph nodes or other areas of the body, your doctor might recommend chemotherapy or radiation therapy to treat the spread and shrink the tumors. These treatments can be very effective, but they may cause side effects. There are also newer approaches to treating cancer, such as immunotherapy. Immunotherapy boosts your immune system’s response to cancer cells. It includes therapies like checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell transfer, which are used to treat some types of cancer.