Cancer is a disease of the cells in the body. There are many different types of cell in the body, and many different types of cancer which arise from different types of cell. What all types of cancer have in common is that the cancer cells are abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’. Some cancers are more serious than others, some are more easily treated than others (particularly if diagnosed at an early stage), some have a better outlook (prognosis) than others.

Cancer involves the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that have mutated from normal tissues. This growth can kill when these cells prevent normal function of vital organs or spread throughout the body, damaging essential systems.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

There are many different kinds of cancers. Cancer arises out of normal cells in the body, and can develop in almost any organ or tissue, such as the lung, colon, breast, skin, bones, or nerve tissue.

In general, cancer appears to be caused by abnormal regulation of cell division. Cancers can occur when cells divide too rapidly or when cells “forget” how to die.

There are multiple causes of cancers such as:

• Radiation
• Sunlight
• Tobacco
• Certain viruses
• Benzene
• Certain poisonous mushrooms and aflatoxins (a poison produced by organisms that can grow on peanut plants)

However, the cause of many cancers remains unknown.

The three most common cancers in men in the U.S. are prostate cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer. In women here, the three most frequently occurring cancers are breast cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer.

The most common cause of cancer-related death is lung cancer.

Certain cancers are more common in particular geographic regions. For example, in Japan, there are many cases of gastric cancer, while in the US this type of cancer is relatively rare. Dietary differences may account for the variance.

Note: not all cancers form solid tumours. For example, in cancer of the blood cells (leukaemia) many abnormal blood cells are made in the bone marrow and circulate in the bloodstream.

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