Understanding the Basics of Cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases that affects millions of people across the world. These diseases vary from cancer of the lungs to cancer of the breast. It can be life threatening, but many people can be successfully treated.
There are about one hundred different types of cancer. Each type has its own characteristics. Understanding these characteristics can help you recognize cancer and plan appropriate treatment. Some of the most common cancers are lung and colorectal tumors.
Cancer can be caused by genetic defects, environmental factors, or a virus. In some cases, a person may have a high risk for developing cancer, but he or she can reduce this risk by making changes to their diet and lifestyle.
One of the main reasons for a person’s increased risk of cancer is the presence of a weakened immune system. People with HIV, AIDS, organ transplant recipients, and those taking drugs to suppress their immune system are at higher risk for getting cancer. Those who smoke also have an increased risk for the disease.
Another risk factor is age. Older adults are at a higher risk of developing cancer. Approximately 87 percent of cancer cases in the United States are diagnosed in people over the age of 50. A large percentage of these cancers are not preventable, but a number of things can be done to reduce your chances of developing the disease.
Another reason that people develop cancer is exposure to certain carcinogens. Carcinogens include ultraviolet light in the sun and tobacco. They trigger mistakes in the cell blueprint. Those errors cause mutations, which disrupt normal cell growth. This process leads to a downward spiral of more and more mutations.
The cellular processes that lead to the creation of a cancer cell are complex and complicated. They are a multistep process, and they take many years to complete. As a result, scientists have developed therapies designed to target abnormal behaviors in cancer cells.
To understand how a normal cell transforms into a cancer cell, it is important to understand some of the basic features of the human body. These features provide the basis for most cancer research. Once a cancer cell is created, it needs to grow and divide in order to spread throughout the body. The process is called metastasis.
Once a cancer cell forms, it often travels through the blood and lymph systems, settling in other parts of the body. Eventually, it breaks off from the original tumor and grows into a new tumor. When this happens, the cancerous cells are said to have “metastasized.”
Another common feature is the ability of the cell to change its chromosomes. Many cancer cells have double the amount of chromosomes that normal cells have. This allows the cancer cells to divide in ways that are not compatible with the rest of the body.
Finally, a cancer cell is often surrounded by other cells. These cells influence the surrounding cells to create growth signals. Sometimes, they release hormones that cause the rest of the body to function improperly.
Cancer is a group of diseases that affects millions of people across the world. These diseases vary from cancer of the lungs to cancer of the breast. It can be life threatening, but many people can be successfully treated. There are about one hundred different types of cancer. Each type has its own characteristics. Understanding these characteristics can help you recognize cancer and plan appropriate treatment. Some of the most common cancers are lung and colorectal tumors. Cancer can be caused by genetic defects, environmental factors, or a virus. In some cases, a person may have a high risk for developing cancer, but he or she can reduce this risk by making changes to their diet and lifestyle. One of the main reasons for a person’s increased risk of cancer is the presence of a weakened immune system. People with HIV, AIDS, organ transplant recipients, and those taking drugs to suppress their immune system are at higher risk for getting cancer. Those who smoke also have an increased risk for the disease. Another risk factor is age. Older adults are at a higher risk of developing cancer. Approximately 87 percent of cancer cases in the United States are diagnosed in people over the age of 50. A large percentage of these cancers are not preventable, but a number of things can be done to reduce your chances of developing the disease. Another reason that people develop cancer is exposure to certain carcinogens. Carcinogens include ultraviolet light in the sun and tobacco. They trigger mistakes in the cell blueprint. Those errors cause mutations, which disrupt normal cell growth. This process leads to a downward spiral of more and more mutations. The cellular processes that lead to the creation of a cancer cell are complex and complicated. They are a multistep process, and they take many years to complete. As a result, scientists have developed therapies designed to target abnormal behaviors in cancer cells. To understand how a normal cell transforms into a cancer cell, it is important to understand some of the basic features of the human body. These features provide the basis for most cancer research. Once a cancer cell is created, it needs to grow and divide in order to spread throughout the body. The process is called metastasis. Once a cancer cell forms, it often travels through the blood and lymph systems, settling in other parts of the body. Eventually, it breaks off from the original tumor and grows into a new tumor. When this happens, the cancerous cells are said to have “metastasized.” Another common feature is the ability of the cell to change its chromosomes. Many cancer cells have double the amount of chromosomes that normal cells have. This allows the cancer cells to divide in ways that are not compatible with the rest of the body. Finally, a cancer cell is often surrounded by other cells. These cells influence the surrounding cells to create growth signals. Sometimes, they release hormones that cause the rest of the body to function improperly.