What is Cancer?
 Cancer
is the abnormal growth, reproduction, and spread of body cells. The human
body contains trillions of cells grouped to make tissues such as muscles,
bones, and skin. Most normal cells grow, reproduce, and die in response
to signals inside and outside the body. If these processes occur in a balanced
and orderly way, the body remains healthy and functions normally. Problems
can begin when normal cells mutate, or change, into cancer cells.  A
normal cell can become a cancer cell for no apparent reason or because
of repeated or heavy exposure to a carcinogenic, or cancer-causing substance;
such as tobacco, alcohol, or chemicals.
Both
the behavior and appearance of cancer cells differ from normal cells. Mutation
occurs in the cell's DNA, or genetic material. DNA controls the cell's
behavior and appearance. Once DNA has mutated, the cell is different from
the healthy cells nearby. The mutated cell appears different and functions
in other ways from normal cells. The
mutated cell detaches from its neighbors and does not "know" when to stop
growing or die. In a sense, the mutated cell does not "obey" the internal
signals that control the other cells and behaves independently rather than
cooperatively.
The
mutated cell divides into two new mutated cells that divide into four mutated
cells. This process continues until the mutated cells form a mass called
a tumor. A tumor
can be self-contained, a condition where the mutated cells will not invade
surrounding tissue or travel through the bloodstream to other sites. A
self-contained tumor such as a wart is benign and is generally not life-threatening
and can usually be surgically removed.
If
tumor cells grow and divide, damage surrounding normal cells, and invade
other body sites, the tumor is malignant, or cancerous. The
greatest danger in a malignant tumor, is its ability to spread throughout
the body, in a process called, metastasis. During a metastasis, the tumor
cells grow, divide, and eventually enter the bloodstream. There, the tumor
cells travel to other body sites, implanting themselves in healthy tissue
and growing into new malignant tumors. As tumors grow and multiply, they
rob normal healthy cells of their nutrients and oxygen. Gradually, with
the progression of the cancer, healthy cells die and the patient's health
and functions deteriorate, often resulting in death.
More
than 100 different diseases are classified as a type of cancer. These diseases
include leukemia, non-Hodgkins disease, myeloma, and melanoma. Most
cancers fall into one of three main groups: carcinomas, sarcomas, or leukemia
and lymphoma. Carcinomas
includes cancers that originate from cells that form the skin (such as
skin cancer), line the internal organs (such as lung cancer), or form glands
(such as breast cancer). Sarcomas
includes cancers that originate from connective tissues such as bone and
cartilage (such as osteosarcoma, or bone cancer) or from muscle tissues
(such as rhabdomyosarcoma, or a malignant tumor in skeletal muscle).
Leukemia and lymphoma includes cancers that originate from blood-forming
cells and cells within the immune system, respectively. This group includes
Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is a cancer of the lymph nodes, and granulocytic
leukemia, which is a cancer of the white blood cells.
In
the United States, skin cancer is the most frequent type of cancer. Breast
cancer is the next most frequent type, followed by lung cancer, prostate
cancer, colon and rectal cancer, bladder cancer, uterine cancer, oral cancer,
leukemia, and pancreatic cancer. Formerly, a cancer diagnosis meant certain
death. Today, modern medical treatment enables more cancer patients to
live longer, healthier lives. Many other cancer patients will recover completely. (Unless
you have Small Cell Lung Cancer.)
(About
2,000 years ago, the Greek physician Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine,
observed that cancer cell damage, looked like crab claws. In
Greek, karkinoma means crab. In
English, carcinoma means a malignant tumor. In
Latin, cancer means crab.)
Notice: The information
provided herein should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical
condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment
of any and all medical conditions.
  
Copyright © (1998 - 2002) by Larry's Dream, Inc.
 
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