What is Cancer?
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, half of all men and one-third of all women will develop cancer at some point in their lives. It can happen to a person at any age and of any race.
Cancer begins at the smallest level of life within your body: the cell. The cell is a tiny unit, invisible to the naked eye. There are many different kinds of cells, and each kind can perform a different function. Cells are made by DNA, the substance in your body that contains all of your genes. Bunches of cells form tissue. Tissues form organs, such as the heart, the brain and the lungs.
Sometimes a specific gene in a person’s DNA becomes damaged. It could be from exposure to a harmful chemical or too much time spent in the sun. The damage may even be caused by something no one can explain. A damaged gene may tell the body to produce cells that grow and multiply out of control.
Cancerous cells tend to live much longer than normal cells and will spread to other parts of the body. Cancer can be deadly when cancerous cells use up the resources that healthy cells need to do their job. This causes the healthy cells to die.
Cancerous cells can form a mass of tissue called a tumor, or they can flow through the blood stream and in organs. Not all tumors are dangerous, but every tumor should be examined to determine whether it could be harmful your health.
Cancer is usually described by where it is first found in the body, such as skin cancer (melanoma) or breast cancer, even if the cancer later spreads to other organs. Certain kinds of cancer can run in families when genes are passed on to children.
(Source: American Cancer Society)
Cancer begins at the smallest level of life within your body: the cell. The cell is a tiny unit, invisible to the naked eye. There are many different kinds of cells, and each kind can perform a different function. Cells are made by DNA, the substance in your body that contains all of your genes. Bunches of cells form tissue. Tissues form organs, such as the heart, the brain and the lungs.
Sometimes a specific gene in a person’s DNA becomes damaged. It could be from exposure to a harmful chemical or too much time spent in the sun. The damage may even be caused by something no one can explain. A damaged gene may tell the body to produce cells that grow and multiply out of control.
Cancerous cells tend to live much longer than normal cells and will spread to other parts of the body. Cancer can be deadly when cancerous cells use up the resources that healthy cells need to do their job. This causes the healthy cells to die.
Cancerous cells can form a mass of tissue called a tumor, or they can flow through the blood stream and in organs. Not all tumors are dangerous, but every tumor should be examined to determine whether it could be harmful your health.
Cancer is usually described by where it is first found in the body, such as skin cancer (melanoma) or breast cancer, even if the cancer later spreads to other organs. Certain kinds of cancer can run in families when genes are passed on to children.
(Source: American Cancer Society)