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More Information: What Is Cancer?
Cancer develops when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of
control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because
of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.
Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During
the early years of a person's life, normal cells divide more rapidly
until the person becomes an adult. After that, cells in most parts of
the body divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells and to repair
injuries.
Because cancer cells continue to grow and divide, they are different
from normal cells. Instead of dying, they outlive normal cells and
continue to form new abnormal cells.
Cancer cells develop because of damage to DNA. This substance is in
every cell and directs all activities. Most of the time when DNA becomes
damaged the body is able to repair it. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA
is not repaired. People can inherit damaged DNA, which accounts for
inherited cancers. More often, though, a person's DNA becomes damaged by
exposure to something in the environment, like smoking.
Cancer usually forms as a tumor. Some cancers, like leukemia, do not
form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells involve the blood and
blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues where they
grow.
Often, cancer cells travel to other parts of the body where they begin
to grow and replace normal tissue. This process is called metastasis.
Regardless of where a cancer may spread, however, it is always named for
the place it began. For instance, breast cancer that spreads to the
liver is still called breast cancer, not liver cancer.
Not all tumors are cancerous. Benign (non-cancerous) tumors do not
spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body and, with very rare
exceptions, are not life threatening.
Different types of cancer can behave very differently. For example, lung
cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at
different rates and respond to different treatments. That is why people
with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their particular kind of
cancer.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Half
of all men and one third of all women in the United States will develop
cancer during their lifetimes. Today, millions of people are living with
cancer or have had cancer. The risk of developing most types of cancer
can be reduced by changes in a person's lifestyle, for example, by
quitting smoking and eating a better diet. The sooner a cancer is found
and treatment begins, the better are the chances for living for many
years.
Revised 02/06/2006 ACS
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