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Cancer is a kind of disease in which cells divide abnormally without control and may overrun other tissues. Through blood and other lymph system these cells spread in all over body. Cancer results in death if spread of cells is not controlled.
General Information About Cancer
The technical term for Cancer is malignant neoplasm, a class of diseases in which a group of cells displays uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood). What differentiates these three malignant properties of cancers from benign tumors is that benign tumors are self-limited, and do not invade or metastasize. Although most cancers form a tumor some, like leukemia, do not. There is a specific branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer called oncology.
Cancer is very insidious and may affect people at all ages, even fetuses, but the risk for most varieties increases as a person’s cells age. It is a known fact that cancer causes about 13% of all human deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, 7.6 million people died from cancer in the world during 2007. In fact, cancers can affect all animals.
Almost every cancer known is caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells. There are many possibilities from which these abnormalities may arise. They may be due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents. There are other cancer-promoting genetic abnormalities which may be randomly acquired through errors in DNA replication, or they are inherited, and thus present in all cells from birth. The inheritability of cancers is usually affected by complex interactions between the carcinogens and host's genome. As the field of cancer is studied and new discoveries are made through the human genome, new aspects of the genetics of cancer pathogenesis, such as DNA methylation, and micro-RNAs are increasingly recognized as important.
Two general classes of genes are typically affected by genetic abnormalities found in cancer: Cancer-promoting oncogenes, which are typically activated in cancer cells, giving those cells new properties, such as hyperactive growth and division, protection against programmed cell death, loss of respect for normal tissue boundaries, and the ability to become established in diverse tissue environments. Tumor suppressor genes then become disactivated in cancer cells, resulting in the loss of normal functions in those cells, such as accurate DNA replication, control over the cell cycle, orientation and adhesion within tissues, and interaction with protective cells of the immune system.
A cancer diagnosis usually requires the histologic (the minute structure of animal and plant tissues as discernible with the microscope) examination of a tissue biopsy specimen by a pathologist, even though there may be initial indication of malignancy, which can be symptoms or radiographic imaging abnormalities. Depending on the specific type, location, and stage, most cancers can be treated and some even cured. Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Treatments are becoming more specific for different varieties of cancer as research and knowledge develop.
On another front, there has been significant progress in the development of targeted therapy drugs that act specifically on detectable molecular abnormalities in certain tumors, and which minimize damage to normal cells. The prognosis of cancer patients is most influenced by the type of cancer, as well as the stage, or extent of the disease. In addition, histologic grading and the presence of specific molecular markers can also be useful in establishing prognosis, as well as in determining individual treatments.
Symptoms of Cancer
Types The main types of cancer are sarcoma, carcinoma, lymphoma and myeloma, leukemia, central nervous system cancers.
•Sarcoma begins in muscle blood, vessels, cartilage, fat, bone, or any other connective or supportive tissue.
•Carcinoma begins in skin or tissues which cover internal organs.
•Lymphoma and myeloma begins in immune system cells.
•Leukemia starts in blood forming tissue as bone marrow, producing numerous abnormal blood cells and then they enter to blood.
•Central nervous system cancer begins into spinal cords and brain.
origin Cancer has its origin in cell which is basic unit of human body. Body cells raise and divide within limit to keep body healthy. When they become old, they are replaced with new cells. Occasionally change or damage in the DNA material of cell results in mutation production. It affects division and growth of cell. At this stage death of old cells stop but formation of new ones goes on. As a result extra cells produce a tumor, a mass of the tissues. In leukemia tumor is not formed. All tumors are not cancerous some of them are malignant and some of them are benign. Benign tumors are not cancerous and they can be removed. They often do not come back. The cells from these tumors do not spread in body. Malignant tumors are cancerous tumors .These cells can spread in to other parts of body. These cells increase suddenly. Metastasis means spreading cancer from one part to other one. Caners are named after their origin into a specific organ.e.g. Cancer beginning in the mouth is known as the oral cancer.
Risk Factors of Cancer
External factors causing cancer are:
•Tobacco
•Infectious organisms
•Radiation
•Chemicals
Internal factors causing cancer are:
•Hormone
•Inherited mutations
•Immune conditions
•Mutations that occur from metabolism
If you are exposed to external factor and you are caught by the disease then ten or more years pass till cancer is detected.
Treatment of Cancer
Surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, biological therapy, hormone therapy, and the target therapy treat cancer.
The treatment provides you options. You have to decide that if you want to cure and control your disease or only get comfort. In early diagnosis cure is possible in middle stage control is achieved and at the last stage the person just wants to live comfortably. Your health in general, financial costs of treatment, reactions of the treatment, effect of treatment can be checked and then after consulting with your surgeon treatment is decided.
Prevention of Cancer
If cancer causes by heavy alcohol intake, or cigarette smoking then it can be prevented. The cancers related to physical inactivity, obesity, nutrition could be prevented. The cancers associated to infectious agents as human papillomavirous (HPV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and others can be prevented through vaccines, behavioral changes, or antibodies. The sun ray protection can prevent various skin cancers.
The technical term for Cancer is malignant neoplasm, a class of diseases in which a group of cells displays uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood). What differentiates these three malignant properties of cancers from benign tumors is that benign tumors are self-limited, and do not invade or metastasize. Although most cancers form a tumor some, like leukemia, do not. There is a specific branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer called oncology.
Cancer is very insidious and may affect people at all ages, even fetuses, but the risk for most varieties increases as a person’s cells age. It is a known fact that cancer causes about 13% of all human deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, 7.6 million people died from cancer in the world during 2007. In fact, cancers can affect all animals.
Almost every cancer known is caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells. There are many possibilities from which these abnormalities may arise. They may be due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents. There are other cancer-promoting genetic abnormalities which may be randomly acquired through errors in DNA replication, or they are inherited, and thus present in all cells from birth. The inheritability of cancers is usually affected by complex interactions between the carcinogens and host's genome. As the field of cancer is studied and new discoveries are made through the human genome, new aspects of the genetics of cancer pathogenesis, such as DNA methylation, and micro-RNAs are increasingly recognized as important.
Two general classes of genes are typically affected by genetic abnormalities found in cancer: Cancer-promoting oncogenes, which are typically activated in cancer cells, giving those cells new properties, such as hyperactive growth and division, protection against programmed cell death, loss of respect for normal tissue boundaries, and the ability to become established in diverse tissue environments. Tumor suppressor genes then become disactivated in cancer cells, resulting in the loss of normal functions in those cells, such as accurate DNA replication, control over the cell cycle, orientation and adhesion within tissues, and interaction with protective cells of the immune system.
A cancer diagnosis usually requires the histologic (the minute structure of animal and plant tissues as discernible with the microscope) examination of a tissue biopsy specimen by a pathologist, even though there may be initial indication of malignancy, which can be symptoms or radiographic imaging abnormalities. Depending on the specific type, location, and stage, most cancers can be treated and some even cured. Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Treatments are becoming more specific for different varieties of cancer as research and knowledge develop.
On another front, there has been significant progress in the development of targeted therapy drugs that act specifically on detectable molecular abnormalities in certain tumors, and which minimize damage to normal cells. The prognosis of cancer patients is most influenced by the type of cancer, as well as the stage, or extent of the disease. In addition, histologic grading and the presence of specific molecular markers can also be useful in establishing prognosis, as well as in determining individual treatments.
Symptoms of Cancer
Types The main types of cancer are sarcoma, carcinoma, lymphoma and myeloma, leukemia, central nervous system cancers.
•Sarcoma begins in muscle blood, vessels, cartilage, fat, bone, or any other connective or supportive tissue.
•Carcinoma begins in skin or tissues which cover internal organs.
•Lymphoma and myeloma begins in immune system cells.
•Leukemia starts in blood forming tissue as bone marrow, producing numerous abnormal blood cells and then they enter to blood.
•Central nervous system cancer begins into spinal cords and brain.
origin Cancer has its origin in cell which is basic unit of human body. Body cells raise and divide within limit to keep body healthy. When they become old, they are replaced with new cells. Occasionally change or damage in the DNA material of cell results in mutation production. It affects division and growth of cell. At this stage death of old cells stop but formation of new ones goes on. As a result extra cells produce a tumor, a mass of the tissues. In leukemia tumor is not formed. All tumors are not cancerous some of them are malignant and some of them are benign. Benign tumors are not cancerous and they can be removed. They often do not come back. The cells from these tumors do not spread in body. Malignant tumors are cancerous tumors .These cells can spread in to other parts of body. These cells increase suddenly. Metastasis means spreading cancer from one part to other one. Caners are named after their origin into a specific organ.e.g. Cancer beginning in the mouth is known as the oral cancer.
Risk Factors of Cancer
External factors causing cancer are:
•Tobacco
•Infectious organisms
•Radiation
•Chemicals
Internal factors causing cancer are:
•Hormone
•Inherited mutations
•Immune conditions
•Mutations that occur from metabolism
If you are exposed to external factor and you are caught by the disease then ten or more years pass till cancer is detected.
Treatment of Cancer
Surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, biological therapy, hormone therapy, and the target therapy treat cancer.
The treatment provides you options. You have to decide that if you want to cure and control your disease or only get comfort. In early diagnosis cure is possible in middle stage control is achieved and at the last stage the person just wants to live comfortably. Your health in general, financial costs of treatment, reactions of the treatment, effect of treatment can be checked and then after consulting with your surgeon treatment is decided.
Prevention of Cancer
If cancer causes by heavy alcohol intake, or cigarette smoking then it can be prevented. The cancers related to physical inactivity, obesity, nutrition could be prevented. The cancers associated to infectious agents as human papillomavirous (HPV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and others can be prevented through vaccines, behavioral changes, or antibodies. The sun ray protection can prevent various skin cancers.
