CANCER RESEARCH
-TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is cancer
Causes of cancer
Types of cancer
Symptoms of cancer
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells anywhere in a body.
These abnormal cells are termed cancer cells, malignant cells,
or tumor cells. These cells can infiltrate normal body tissues. Many
cancers and the abnormal cells that compose the cancer tissue are further
identified by the name of the tissue that the abnormal cells originated
from (for example, breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer). Cancer
is not confined to humans; animals and other living organisms can get
cancer. Below is a schematic that shows normal cell division and how
when a cell is damaged or altered without repair to its system, the cell
usually dies. Also shown is what occurs when such damaged or
unrepaired cells do not die and become cancer cells and show
uncontrolled division and growth -- a mass of cancer cells develop.
Frequently, cancer cells can break away from this original mass of cells,
travel through the blood and lymph systems, and lodge in other organs
where they can again repeat the uncontrolled growth cycle. This process
of cancer cells leaving an area and growing in another body area is
termed metastatic spread or metastasis. For example, if breast
cancer cells spread to a bone, it means that the individual has
1
CANCER RESEARCH
metastatic breast cancer to bone. This is not the same as "bone cancer,"
which would mean the cancer had started in the bone.
The following table (National Cancer Institute 2016) gives the estimated
numbers of new cases and deaths for each common cancer type:
Estimated New Estimated
Cancer Type
Cases Deaths
Bladder 76,960 16,390
Breast (Female -- Male) 246,660 -- 2,600 40,450 -- 440
Colorectal Cancer 134,490 49,190
Endometrial 60,050 10,470
Kidney (Renal Cell and Renal Pelvis)
62,700 14,240
Cancer
Leukemia (All Types) 60,140 24,400
Lung (Including Bronchus) 224,390 158,080
Melanoma 76,380 10,130
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 72,580 20,150
2
CANCER RESEARCH
Estimated New Estimated
Cancer Type
Cases Deaths
Pancreatic 53,070 41,780
Prostate 180,890 26,120
Thyroid 64,300 1,980
The three most common cancers in men, women, and children in the
U.S. are as follows:
Men: Prostate, lung, and colorectal
Women: Breast, lung, and colorectal
Children: Leukemia, brain tumors, and lymphoma
The incidence of cancer and cancer types are influenced by many factors
such as age, gender, race, local environmental factors, diet, and genetics.
Consequently, the incidence of cancer and cancer types vary depending
on these variable factors. For example, the World Health Organization
(WHO) provides the following general information about cancer
worldwide:
3
CANCER RESEARCH
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. It accounted for 8.2
million deaths (around 22% of all deaths not related to
communicable diseases; most recent data from WHO).
Lung, stomach, liver, colon, and breast cancer cause the most
cancer deaths each year.
Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising,
with an estimated 13.1 million deaths in 2030 (about a 70%
increase).
Different areas of the world may have cancers that are either more or
less predominant then those found in the U.S. One example is
that stomach cancer is often found in Japan, while it is rarely found in
the U.S. This usually represents a combination of environmental and
genetic factors.
The objective of this article is to introduce the reader to general aspects
of cancers. It is designed to be an overview of cancer and cannot cover
every cancer type. This article will also attempt to help guide the reader
to more detailed sources about specific cancer types.
4
CANCER RESEARCH
QUESTION
Cancer is the result of the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells
anywhere in the [Link] Answer
What Is Cancer & What Causes It?
When cells become cancerous
In the most basic terms, cancer refers to cells that grow out-of-control
and invade other tissues. Cells become cancerous due to the
accumulation of defects, or mutations, in their DNA. Certain:
inherited genetic defects (for example, BRCA1 and BRCA2
mutations),
infections,
environmental factors (for example, air pollution), and
poor lifestyle choices -- such as smoking and heavy alcohol use --
can also damage DNA and lead to cancer.
5
CANCER RESEARCH
Most of the time, cells are able to detect and repair DNA damage. If a
cell is severely damaged and cannot repair itself it undergoes so-called
programmed cell death or apoptosis. Cancer occurs when damaged cells
grow, divide, and spread abnormally instead of self-destructing as they
should.
Read more about what causes cancer and how cancer occurs in cells »
What are risk factors and causes of cancer?
Anything that may cause a normal body cell to develop abnormally
potentially can cause cancer. Many things can cause cell abnormalities
and have been linked to cancer development. Some cancer
causes remain unknown while other cancers have environmental or
lifestyle triggers or may develop from more than one known cause.
Some may be developmentally influenced by a person's genetic makeup.
Many patients develop cancer due to a combination of these factors.
Although it is often difficult or impossible to determine the initiating
event(s) that cause a cancer to develop in a specific person, research has
provided clinicians with a number of likely causes that alone or in
concert with other causes, are the likely candidates for initiating cancer.
The following is a listing of major causes and is not all-inclusive as
specific causes are routinely added as research advances:
Chemical or toxic compound exposures: Benzene, asbestos, nickel,
cadmium, vinyl chloride, benzidine, N-nitrosamines, tobacco
or cigarette smoke (contains at least 66 known potential carcinogenic
chemicals and toxins), asbestos, and aflatoxin
6
CANCER RESEARCH
Ionizing radiation: Uranium, radon, ultraviolet rays from sunlight,
radiation from alpha, beta, gamma, and X-ray-emitting sources
Pathogens: Human papillomavirus (HPV), EBV or Epstein-Barr
virus, hepatitis viruses B and C, Kaposi's sarcoma-
associated herpes virus (KSHV), Merkel cell
polyomavirus, Schistosoma spp., and Helicobacter pylori; other bacteria
are being researched as possible agents.
Genetics: A number of specific cancers have been linked to human
genes and are as follows: breast, ovarian, colorectal, prostate, skin
and melanoma; the specific genes and other details are beyond the scope
of this general article so the reader is referred to the National Cancer
Institute for more details about genetics and cancer.