Cancer is a term used for when normal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells then spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.
Cancer therefore is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start - for example, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.
Although different, all cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. To understand cancer, it's helpful to know what happens when normal cells become cancer cells.
The body is made up of many types of cells. These cells grow and divide in a controlled way to produce more cells as they are needed to keep the body healthy. When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.
However, sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. The genetic material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. When this happens, cells do not die when they should and new cells form when the body does not need them. The extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumour.
One thing that is important to understand is not all tumours are cancerous, some are benign. Meaning they are unlikely to grow or spread to other parts of the body. An example of this is a mole on your skin is a tiny tumour, but unless it changes is a benign tumour and harmless.
Cancerous tumours on the other hand are made up of very fast growing cells and can move or spread to places they do not belong, causing damage to our body’s it cannot cope with.
It is this which is defined as cancer and is the thing that so many tens of thousands of scientists and doctors around the word are fighting daily to treat, halt and eradicate.
Finally I’d like to stress, great advances have been made in this field in recent years and early detection is the key. So if I may make a plea, if you or a loved one has that nagging feeling something isn’t right. Do not delay, seek medical guidance and book that appointment today.
Thanks.
Here are a couple of good further information links:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/
home/index.asp for the US.
home/index.asp for the US.
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