Approximately 1 in 2 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime.
What is cancer?
Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells grouped together to form tissues and organs, such as muscles, bones, lungs and liver. Our genes inside each cell tell them to grow, work, divide and die. Normal, healthy cells follow our genes’ instructions, but sometimes the instructions get mixed-up, which causes the cells to grow and divide out of control or not die when they normally should. As more and more abnormal cells grow and divide, they can form a cancerous lump in the body called a tumour.
It’s important to ﬁnd a tumour as early as possible when it’s smaller and easier to treat and there’s less chance the cancer has spread. However, not all cancers form a solid tumour. Blood cancer cells tend to build-up in the blood and in the bone marrow. Because the cancer cells are already circulating in the blood, blood cancers are often more widespread throughout the body when they are diagnosed.
Approximately 1 in 2 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime. It can occur at any age but most commonly affects those over the age of 50. Lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers account for 50% of all new cases.
At MyHealth Centre, cancer diagnosis starts with an imaging or radiology test, which takes pictures of the inside of your body to look for cancer cells. These tests are safe and painless. If cancer cells are detected, we will determine how far they have spread and how effectively your treatment is working.
Source: Canadian Cancer Society
Our facilities oﬀer a wide spectrum of cancer diagnostic services in a comfortable setting: