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Cancer is the name given to a group of related diseases. In all types of cancer, some of the body’s cells begin to divide without stopping and spread to surrounding tissues.
Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body
Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells. Normally, human cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When normal cells age or become damaged, they die, and new cells replace them.
In cancer, however, this orderly process gets out of control. As cells become more and more abnormal, old or damaged cells survive when they should die, and new cells form when they are not needed.
You should know how cancer appears in your life
Cancer is a genetic disease, that is, it is caused by changes in the genes that control how our cells function.
Genetic changes that cause cancer can be inherited from parents. They can also happen in a person’s lifetime as a result of errors that occur when cells divide or DNA damage caused by some environmental exposures.
Did you know that there are several types of cancer?
Carcinoma
Carcinomas are the most common types of cancer. They form in epithelial cells, which are the cells that cover the internal and external surfaces of the body.
Sarcoma
Sarcomas are cancers that form in bone and soft tissues, including muscle.
Leukemia
Cancers that begin in the blood-forming tissues of the bone marrow are called leukemias. These cancers do not form solid tumors.
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in lymphocytes (T cells or B cells). These are disease-fighting white blood cells that are part of the immune system.
Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is cancer that starts in plasma cells, another type of immune cell.
Melanoma
Melanoma is cancer that starts in cells that become melanocytes, which are cells specialized to produce melanin (the pigment that gives skin its color).
Brain and spinal cord tumors
There are different types of brain and spinal cord tumors. These tumors are named for the type of cell where they formed and where the tumor first formed in the central nervous system.
