what+is+cancer?+AT

- cancer comes from cells in a part in the body that begin to grow out of control - normal body cells grow, divide, and die in a set system and pattern - as humans grow older the cell division slow down... cells in adults only divide to replace old or dying cells or to repair injuries - cancer cells continue to grow and divide- instead of dying they outlive the normal cells and form new abnormal cells - the damage in the cancer cells that make them abnormal comes from damage in their DNA - most normal cells with damaged DNA are easily repaired by the body - cancer cells the DNA is not repaired by the body - damage can come from genetics... or exposure to something... in the environment or an action (like smoking) - most cancer forms as a tumor - some cancers don't form tumors and instead involve the blood and blood-forming organs to circulate through tissues where they go - sometimes cancer cells go to other parts of the body where they can grow and replace the normal tissue there (metastasis) - cancer is always named by the place in which the cancer forms (regardless of where they travel to) - though cancer cells may form tumors- not all tumors are cancerous- non-cancerous tumors do not travel or spread to other places in the body - cancer is difficult because different types of cancers act differently... they grow at different rates and respond to different treatments... which is why treatment is so difficult and different cancers require different types of treatment - cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States - 1/2 of all me and 1/3 of all women in the US will develop cancer during their life - lowering the risk of developing most cancers can be accomplished by making changes in a person lifestyle (quitting smoking... eating better) - the sooner cancer is found and the quicker treatment starts the better chance the patient has for living. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1x_What_Is_Cancer.asp
 * What is cancer?**
 * the above information was found at...**

- the American Cancer Society has reported that less people died from cancer in 2004 than in 2003 (which marks the second year in a row in which cancer deaths have declined in the US) - better cancer detection and more effective treatments are now available - cancer is a disease - this disease is characterized by the development of abnormal cells the divide uncontrollably - these cells have the ability to destroy the normal tissue - cancer has the ability to spread throughout the body - knowing what is going on when you have cancer will allow the patient to have more control over the disease who gets cancer? - cancer doesnt "discriminate" against race, sex or age - anyone and everyone can get cancer - 1/2 men and 1/3 of women in the US will develop cancer - the ACS has estimated that about 1.4 million new cases of cancer are expected in 2007 and about 560,000 people will die from the disease - cancer ultimately begins with damage in the DNA - because DNA is like "set instructions" for the cells (telling them when to die and divide and also how and when to grow)... when the DNA is damaged the cells will therefore become damaged as well - often times normal cells with have damaged DNA but they have the ability to repair the mutations in the DNA and if they cant then they die - certain damages in the DNA prevent the cells from being able to repair and become cancerous - mutations can also allow a cell to surpass the normal cell life span - the genetic mutation is only the start of the cancer process - there are a number of different changes that you needinorder to fully develop cancer - mutations are often times caused by forces inside of your body (hormones, viruses, and chronic inflammation) - other mutations cam come from the environment around you (UV light from the sun or cancer-causing chemicals) - promoters cause the cells to divide rapidly ( which could lead to tumors) - promoters can come from a number of places, your genetics, inside your body, or from the environment around you - progressors make cancers more aggressive and are cells are therefore more likely to spread - like initiators and promoters progressors can be inherited or could come from the environment surrounding you - a persons genetics, forces within the body, lifestyle, and environment can aid cancer in forming or can help complete the process of cancer once it has started - if you are born with a genetic mutation you might be more susceptible to developing cancer by a cancer-causing chemical than a person who wasnt born with a genetic mutation your habits -breaking your cancer-causing habits can decrease your chances of getting cancer your family history - if cancer is common in your family it could be possible that genetic mutations are being passed down from one generation to the next - having an inherited genetic mutation does not mean that you will get cancer your health conditions your environment - your environment can have cancer-causing chemicals that could increase your risk of developing cancer (like secondhand smoke) - asbestos and benzene (chemicals) can increase your risk how does cancer grow? - cancer cells "forget" to die and the cells begin to accumulate (creating a tumor) - tumors stay small until they can attract their blood supply- allowing them to obtain oxygen and nutrients needed to grow larger - not all cancers form tumors- and NOT ALL TUMORS ARE CANCEROUS ( leukemia is a cancer that attacks the blood, bone marrow, the lymphatic system, and the spleen- without forming a single mass or tumor) - cancer can spread and invade healthy tissue - cancer can take decades to develop- by the time cancer is found it is likely that 100 million to 1 billion cancer cells are present- with the original cancer that has been developing for about 5 YEARS! - cancer is only diagnosed by a microscope that magnifies the cells - some image tests (computerized technology (CT), or mammography) can show the presence of cancer (by revealing an abnormal mass) - doctors use a "surgical process" called a biopsy to get a sample of suspected tissue - under a microscope normal cells look uniform with similar sizes and extreme organization. - cancer cells look less orderly with different sizes and without any organization http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/CA00003
 * cancer: causes, who gets it, risks, growth, and appearance**
 * **what is cancer?**
 * **what causes cancer?**
 * an initiator to cause a genetic mutation**
 * -** sometimes you are born with the mutation
 * a promoter to cause rapid cell growth**
 * -** promoters take advantage of genetic mutations
 * a progressor to cause cancer to become aggressive and spread**
 * -** without progressors tumors would remain benign and stay in one place
 * **what increases your risk of cancer?**
 * -** smoking, drinking more than one drink a day (women) and two drinks a day (men), excessive exposure to the sun or frequent blistering sunburns, and having unsafe sex can increase your risk to cancer
 * -** about 10% of cancer cases are because of an inherited condition
 * -** some chronic health conditions (ulcerative colitis) can increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer
 * -** cancer cells grow at an uncontrolled rate
 * **what does cancer look like?**
 * the above information was found at...

- cancer is a group of diseases with cells that are aggressive (grow and divide without "respect" to normal limits) - cancer cells are invasive- they invade and destroy surrounding tissue - cancer cells spread to other locations in the body - cancer can affect people at all ages (even fetuses)... risk increases with age - genetic abnormalties found in cancer usually affect two general types of genes (oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes) - cancer is identified by the tissue that it came from and the normal cell type the cancer cells resemble - most cancers can be treated and some even cured... depending on the type, location, and stage of cancer - most cancer is treated with a combination of different treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy) - with the advancements coming from research treatments are becoming more specific for different types of cancer
 * cancer in general**
 * the information above was found on wikipedia**