What is Cancer?
Summary
There are over 100 common types of cancer. All cells in our bodies divide and grow, to replace cells that die on a regular basis. However, when someone develops a cancer, certain groups of cells grow at an uncontrolled rate. These not only grow in an uncontrolled fashion, but also eventually invade and destroy other tissues. Those that remain in one local area are benign. Others that spread to different locations in the body via lymph or blood, and continue their destruction everywhere are called malignant cancers.
Cancers are divided into five main types. Sarcomas are cancers that originate in muscle and fibrous tissue (soft tissue sarcomas), or in bone and cartilage. Leukemias are cancers of the blood cells, which arise in the blood forming organs, bone marrow and spleen. Lymphoma affect the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and nodes that act as the body’s filters. Carcinomas (80% of all cancers) arise in the body’s organs. Examples of carcinomas are breast cancer and prostate cancer. There are a few cancers that don’t fit into these five main categories.
Keywords: Cancer information, education, metastisis, sarcoma, leukemia, lymphoma, carcinoma
