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Monday, June 27, 2011

What is cancer?

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease of cells.
It is an abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, in some cases, to metastasize(spread).

Cancer is also called malignancy.
A cancerous growth or tumor is sometimes referred to as a malignant growth or malignant tumor.
A non-malignant growth or tumor is referred to as benign. Benign tumors are not cancer.
Cancer is not one disease. It is a group of more than 100
different and distinctive diseases.
Cancer is NOT contagious.
Cancer can involve any tissue of the body and have many different forms in each body area.
Most cancers are named for the type of cell or organ in which they start. If a cancer spreads (metastasizes), the new tumor bears the same name as the original (primary) tumor.
Cancer
is the Latin word for crab. The ancients used the word to mean a
malignancy, doubtless because of the crab-like tenacity a malignant
tumor sometimes seems to show in grasping the tissues it invades.
Cancer may also be called malignancy, a malignant tumor, or a neoplasm (literally, a new growth).
How many people die of cancer each year?
The following table gives the estimated numbers of new cases and deaths for each common cancertype:
Cancer Type
Estimated New Cases
Estimated Deaths
61,420
13,060
212,920 - 1,720
40,970 - 460
148,610
55,170
41,200
7,350
Kidney Cancer (renal cell)
31,890
10,530
35,070
22,280
Lung Cancer (including bronchus)
174,470
162,460
62,170
7,910
58,870
18,840
33,370
32,300
234,460
27,350
Skin Cancer (non-melanoma)
>1,000,000
Not Available
30,180
1,500
SOURCE: National Cancer Institute

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