What is Cancer and How is it Treated?
Cancer is a disease that happens when cells in the body grow and multiply out of control. These cells may form lumps of tissue called tumors and can also spread into other parts of the body. Cancer is different from a cold or the flu, because it is not caused by germs. It is caused by changes in the genetic makeup of a person’s cells. These changes can be caused by things like lifestyle habits or genes that a person gets from their parents.
Normally, your cells grow and divide to make more cells as the body needs them. But sometimes these cells go wrong and continue to grow and multiply without stopping. Then the abnormal cells crowd out the normal cells and cause problems in the way the body works. Cancer can start anywhere in the body.
A normal cell has a set of instructions to keep growing and dying in an orderly way. But when cancer develops, there are mistakes in these instructions. Cancer cells also have ways to hide from the body’s immune system so it can’t fight them. Cancer cells can also use nutrients to grow and spread more quickly than normal cells. This is why cancer can make you feel very sick.
Doctors aren’t sure what causes cancer. But there are a number of things that can increase a person’s risk, such as smoking and being exposed to certain chemicals or radiation. These things are known as carcinogens. In addition, some people have a family history of cancer or other health conditions, which can increase their risk of getting the disease.
There are about 100 different types of cancer. Each type has its own name based on where it starts in the body (for example, breast cancer, colon and rectum cancer, leukaemia). The way a cancer is treated depends on the type and stage of the disease. Doctors describe stages of cancer based on how far the cancer has spread when it is diagnosed.
The most common treatment for cancer is chemotherapy, which involves using drugs to kill the cancer cells and help them die. Other treatments include surgery, which removes the cancerous tissue and nearby healthy tissue. Hormone therapy uses medications to change the way hormones work in the body, which can be helpful in treating some kinds of cancer. And immunotherapy is a newer type of treatment that uses medicines and other treatments to help the body’s natural defense systems fight the cancer.
Cancer is a disease that happens when cells in the body grow and multiply out of control. These cells may form lumps of tissue called tumors and can also spread into other parts of the body. Cancer is different from a cold or the flu, because it is not caused by germs. It is caused by changes in the genetic makeup of a person’s cells. These changes can be caused by things like lifestyle habits or genes that a person gets from their parents. Normally, your cells grow and divide to make more cells as the body needs them. But sometimes these cells go wrong and continue to grow and multiply without stopping. Then the abnormal cells crowd out the normal cells and cause problems in the way the body works. Cancer can start anywhere in the body. A normal cell has a set of instructions to keep growing and dying in an orderly way. But when cancer develops, there are mistakes in these instructions. Cancer cells also have ways to hide from the body’s immune system so it can’t fight them. Cancer cells can also use nutrients to grow and spread more quickly than normal cells. This is why cancer can make you feel very sick. Doctors aren’t sure what causes cancer. But there are a number of things that can increase a person’s risk, such as smoking and being exposed to certain chemicals or radiation. These things are known as carcinogens. In addition, some people have a family history of cancer or other health conditions, which can increase their risk of getting the disease. There are about 100 different types of cancer. Each type has its own name based on where it starts in the body (for example, breast cancer, colon and rectum cancer, leukaemia). The way a cancer is treated depends on the type and stage of the disease. Doctors describe stages of cancer based on how far the cancer has spread when it is diagnosed. The most common treatment for cancer is chemotherapy, which involves using drugs to kill the cancer cells and help them die. Other treatments include surgery, which removes the cancerous tissue and nearby healthy tissue. Hormone therapy uses medications to change the way hormones work in the body, which can be helpful in treating some kinds of cancer. And immunotherapy is a newer type of treatment that uses medicines and other treatments to help the body’s natural defense systems fight the cancer.