Cancer

 

Cancer begins in your cells, which are the building blocks of your body. Normally, your body forms new cells as you need them, replacing old cells that die. Sometimes this process goes wrong. New cells grow even when you do not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass called a tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant.

Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for where they start.

For example, lung cancer starts in the lung, and breast cancer starts in the breast. The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is called metastasis.

Symptoms and treatment depend on the cancer type and how advanced it is.

Most treatments may include:

1. Surgery

2. Radiation and/or chemotherapy

3. Some may involve hormone therapy, immunotherapy or other types of biologic therapy, or stem cell transplantation