What is cancer?
Cancer is a group of over 100 related diseases that begins in cells, the body’s basic unit of life. Normally, cells grow and divide to produce more cells only needed. Sometimes, cells keep dividing when new cells are not needed. These extra cells form a mass of tissue, called a growth or tumor.

Benign tumors are not cancer. They can often be removed and, in most cases, do not grow back. Cells from benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body, and are rarely life threatening.

Malignant tumors are cancer. Cells in these tumors are abnormal and divide without control or order. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can break away from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. That is how cancer spreads to form new tumors in other organs. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the “brain” of the human cell and provides the blueprint for how a cell is supposed to function. When DNA becomes damaged, or mutates, abnormal cell behavior begins.

What are possible causes of cancer?
Cancer develops over time as a result of a complex mix of factors related to lifestyle, heredity, and environment. Many cancers are related to tobacco, what people eat and drink, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) in the environment. Some cancer risk factors can be avoided and others are inherited.

Cancer warning signs:

• Unusual bleeding or discharge
• Lump or thickening in breast, testicles or elsewhere
• Nagging hoarseness, sore throat or cough
• Change in bowel or bladder habits
• Change in moles or warts
• Trouble with sores healing
• Persistent indigestion or difficulty in swallowing
• Unexplained weight change

Progress in action:

The good news reported by the National Cancer Institute includes the following:

• Survival rates from the four most common cancers (breast, prostate, lung and colorectal) continue to rise, and the rates for all cancers have begun to stabilize
• Adult smoking, alcohol and fat consumption are down, and fruit and vegetable consumption is up
• People are protecting themselves from the sun
• The use of screening tests is on the rise, leading to early detection of many cancers