What Is Cancer?
Cancer is the name given to a collection of related diseases. In all types of cancer, some of the body’s cells begin to divide without stopping and spread into surrounding tissues.
Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells. Normally, human cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place.
When cancer develops, however, this orderly process breaks down. As cells become more and more abnormal, old or damaged cells survive when they should die, and new cells form when they are not needed. These extra cells can divide without stopping and may form growths called tumors.
Cancers of the blood, such as leukemias, generally do not form solid tumors. Cancerous tumors are malignant, which means they can spread into, or invade, nearby tissues. In addition, as these tumors grow, some cancer cells can break off and travel to distant places in the body through the blood or the lymph system and form new tumors far from the original tumor.
Unlike malignant tumors, benign tumors do not spread into, or invade, nearby tissues. Benign tumors can sometimes be quite large, however. When removed, they usually don’t grow back, whereas malignant tumors sometimes do. Unlike most benign tumors elsewhere in the body, benign brain tumors can be life threatening.
What Causes Cancer?
It is usually not possible to know exactly why one person develops cancer and another doesn’t. But research has shown that certain risk factors may increase a person’s chances of developing cancer. (There are also factors that are linked to a lower risk of cancer. These are sometimes called protective risk factors, or just protective factors.)
Cancer risk factors include exposure to chemicals or other substances, as well as certain behaviors. They also include things people cannot control, like age and family history.
These are the most-studied known or suspected risk factors for cancer. Although some of these risk factors can be avoided, others—such as growing older—cannot. Limiting your exposure to avoidable risk factors may lower your risk of developing certain cancers.
- Cancer-Causing Substances
- Chronic Inflammation
- Infectious Agents
How Can Cancer Be Prevented?
Don’t use tobacco
The use of tobacco products has been linked to many types of cancer, including lung, colorectal, breast, throat, cervical, bladder, mouth and esophageal. About 90 percent of all lung cancer is related to smoking. Non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are also at risk for lung cancer and other respiratory conditions.
Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. Limit red meat and cut out processed meats. It is also important to limit alcohol consumption because alcohol can increase your risk for liver, colorectal and breast cancers. If you drink alcohol, have no more than two drinks a day if you are a man or one drink a day if you are a woman.
Getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day can make a big difference in your general health and well-being. Inactivity and obesity have been linked to breast and colorectal cancer, and there is also some evidence of a link to lung and pancreatic cancer. Add exercise to your routine to reduce stress, increase energy, boost your immune system, control your weight and reduce your risk for cancer.
Avoid risky behaviours
Many strains of the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV, are spread through skin to skin contact during vaginal, anal and oral sex. High-risk strains of HPV have increasingly been found to cause many types of cancer. The Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can also be spread from person to person through unprotected sex. It can cause long-term liver infections that can increase a person’s chance of developing liver cancer.
Certain viruses have been linked to cancer, but are preventable through vaccination. Talk to your health care professional about the age recommendations for HPV vaccines. Liver cancers could be linked to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). An HBV vaccination is available and is recommended for babies, older children who were not vaccinated earlier and adults who are at risk for HBV infection.
Know your family history
Talk to your health care professional about cancer screening. Some tests can help detect cancer early, when treatment is more likely to be successful, and some can also detect precancerous conditions before they become cancer. While screening has been proven to save lives, screening guidelines aren’t always “one size fits all.”
Source: Preventcancer.org / Cancer.gov