General Cancer Information

What is Cancer?
“Cancer” is a general term for different illnesses that occur when cells become abnormal and keep dividing to form more cells without control or order. These abnormal cells may form malignant tumors which can develop in various parts of the body. Some cancers will only affect one organ, while others will spread throughout the body in various ways. However, all cancers are characterized by the abnormal growth and spread of cells within the body. Even when cancer spreads from the original site to other parts of the body, the abnormal cell stays the same. For that reason, most cancers are named for the type of cell or organ in which they began.

Is Cancer Always Life Threatening?
Cancer is a very serious disease. However, a cancer diagnosis is not a certain death sentence. In fact, most types of cancer can be treated and some even cured. Despite incredible medical advances, cancer is ranked second only to cardiovascular disease as the deadliest killer in America—claiming an estimated 556,500 lives in 2003. Approximately 62 percent of people diagnosed with cancer continue to survive. Preliminary data for 1995 suggests that cancer deaths have been on the decline for the first time. However, on average, more than 1,500 people in America die from cancer every day.

How Does Cancer Develop, and Why Does It Develop in Some People and Not in Others?
It still remains unclear why cancer develops in some people and not in others. Most cancers develop slowly from a complex sequence of events. Cancer forms because of the production of altered deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA is the structure in our cells that builds our chromosomes, which serve as each cell’s control center. DNA also contains genes, the basic unit of our heredity that tells our cells who we are and what to do.

An alteration usually is caused by multiple factors that alter normal cell growth. These factors may include occupation, nutrition, lifestyle, prior infections with certain viruses and/or possessing genes previously altered and passed on to offspring.

Most scientists accept the theory of initiation and promotion. Initiation means the DNA has converted, that something has caused mutations. Promotion means something causes it to grow, but it only can grow as a cancer if the cell has undergone prior chromosomal change. Factors that cause the changes can be internal (for example, hormones, tissue damage, lowered immunity, etc.). These factors also can be external (for example, environmental and occupation-related chemicals, exposure to radiation, etc.).

Remember, early detection of cancer is one of your best defenses against the disease.