Cancer – What Causes It and How to Get Rid of It
Cancer is a group of diseases in which cells grow uncontrollably and invade or spread to other parts of the body. It starts when cells start growing and dividing out of control, even though they’re not needed. They may also break apart from the tissue they’re in and move to other tissues or organs, where they continue to grow and spread.
Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. They make up tissue that makes up the body’s organs and other structures. Normally, when the body doesn’t need these cells, they die. But sometimes this process goes wrong and these old or damaged cells keep growing until there’s a build up of cells that forms a lump or growth. This is called a tumor.
A person who has cancer will often have symptoms such as pain, a change in appetite, or tiredness. However, everyone is different and some people don’t have any symptoms. If you have symptoms that last a long time or get worse, talk to your doctor. This is important because early diagnosis can lead to better treatment.
There are many different ways to treat cancer, depending on the type and where it is in your body. Treatment options may include radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, biologic therapies, or stem cell transplantation. Biological therapy uses your own immune system to fight the cancer and help manage side effects from other treatments. Other treatment options may include hormone therapy and targeted therapy, which use drugs to target specific parts of the cancer cell.
Most cancers develop because of changes to genes that occur over a person’s lifetime. These genetic changes are called oncogenes or mutations. Other causes of cancer include inherited faulty genes, exposure to carcinogens such as tobacco smoke and radiation, and infections such as the human papillomavirus (HPV). But we still don’t know exactly what causes most cancers or why some people are more likely to develop them than others.
There’s a lot of information about what does and doesn’t cause cancer on the Internet, but it’s important to remember that most of this is unproven. It’s also important to get your health information from sources that have experts who review the research.
Cancer is a group of diseases in which cells grow uncontrollably and invade or spread to other parts of the body. It starts when cells start growing and dividing out of control, even though they’re not needed. They may also break apart from the tissue they’re in and move to other tissues or organs, where they continue to grow and spread. Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. They make up tissue that makes up the body’s organs and other structures. Normally, when the body doesn’t need these cells, they die. But sometimes this process goes wrong and these old or damaged cells keep growing until there’s a build up of cells that forms a lump or growth. This is called a tumor. A person who has cancer will often have symptoms such as pain, a change in appetite, or tiredness. However, everyone is different and some people don’t have any symptoms. If you have symptoms that last a long time or get worse, talk to your doctor. This is important because early diagnosis can lead to better treatment. There are many different ways to treat cancer, depending on the type and where it is in your body. Treatment options may include radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, biologic therapies, or stem cell transplantation. Biological therapy uses your own immune system to fight the cancer and help manage side effects from other treatments. Other treatment options may include hormone therapy and targeted therapy, which use drugs to target specific parts of the cancer cell. Most cancers develop because of changes to genes that occur over a person’s lifetime. These genetic changes are called oncogenes or mutations. Other causes of cancer include inherited faulty genes, exposure to carcinogens such as tobacco smoke and radiation, and infections such as the human papillomavirus (HPV). But we still don’t know exactly what causes most cancers or why some people are more likely to develop them than others. There’s a lot of information about what does and doesn’t cause cancer on the Internet, but it’s important to remember that most of this is unproven. It’s also important to get your health information from sources that have experts who review the research.