what is CANCER INFORMATION?
Cancer is a group of diseases that develop when cells in a part of the body begin to grow and spread out of control. If the spread is not controlled, it can result in death. Cancer is caused by both external factors (tobacco, chemicals, radiation, and infectious organisms) and internal factors (inherited mutations, hormones, immune conditions, and mutations that occur from metabolism). These causal factors may act together or in sequence to initiate or promote carcinogenesis.
Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person’s life, normal cells divide more rapidly until the person becomes an adult. After that, cells in most part of the body divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells and to repair injuries.
Because cancer cells continue to grow and divide, they are different from normal cells. Instead of dying, they outlive normal cells, and continue to form abnormal cells. Cancer cells often travel to other parts of the body where they begin to grow and replace normal tissue. This process, called metastasis, occurs as the cancer cells get into the bloodstream or lymph vessels of our body. When cells from a cancer, like breast cancer, spread to another organ like the liver, the cancer is still called breast cancer, not liver cancer.
Cancer cells develop because of damage to DNA. This substance is in every cell and directs all its activities. Most of the time when DNA becomes damaged the body is able to repair it. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired. People can inherit damaged DNA, which accounts for inherited cancers. Many times a person’s DNA becomes damaged by exposure to something in the environment, like smoking.
Cancer usually forms as a solid tumor. Some cancers, like leukemia, do not form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues where they grow. Not all tumors are cancerous. Benign (noncancerous) tumors do not spread to other parts of the body (metastasize) and, with rare exceptions, are not life threatening.
Different types of cancer can behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments. This is why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their particular kind of cancer.
common type of caNCER
Common types of cancer are those that are diagnosed with the greatest frequency in the United States. The most common type of cancer on this list is non-melanoma skin cancer, representing about half of all cancers diagnosed in this country. The cancer on the list with the lowest incidence is thyroid cancer.
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. It is a cancer that forms in the tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk)
It Occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare.
Screening reduces the mortality both by decreasing incidence and by detecting a higher proportion of cancers at early, more treatable stages. Screening includes various blood tests; flexible sigmoidoscopy; barium enema; and colonoscopy.
Beginning at age 50, men and women who are at average risk for developing colorectal cancer should begin screening. Screening can result in the detection and removal of colorectal polyps before they become cancerous as well as the detection of cancer that is at an early stage.
Colon and Rectum: Screening is necessary to detect colorectal cancer in its early stages.
Because symptoms often resemble those of other, less serious conditions, leukemia can be difficult to diagnose early.
When a physician does suspect leukemia, diagnosis can be made using blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy.
Efforts at early detection have not yet been demonstrated to reduce mortality. Chest x-ray, analysis of cells in sputum, and fiberoptic examination of the bronchial passages have shown limited effectiveness in improving survival.
Newer tests, such as low-dose spiral computed tomography (CT) scans and molecular markers in sputum, have produced promising results in detecting lung cancers at earlier, more operable stages when survival is better. However, there are considerable risks associated with lung biopsy and surgery that must be considered when evaluating the risks and benefits of screening.
Symptoms may include swollen lymph nodes, itching, night sweats, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and intermittent fever.
Symptoms may include swollen lymph nodes, itching, night sweats, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and intermittent fever.
Routine screening for women at average risk is not recommended because no sufficiently accurate screening test is currently available. The pelvic examination can only occasionally detect ovarian cancer, generally when the disease is already in advanced stages.
At present there is no method for the early detection of pancreatic cancer and the early stages of the disease are usually asymptomatic.
Researchers are focusing on ways to diagnose pancreatic cancer before symptoms occur.
At this time, there are insufficient data to recommend for or against prostate cancer testing in men at average risk of developing the disease.
The American Cancer Society recommends that beginning at age 50, the PSA blood test (which detects a protein made by the prostate called prostate-specific antigen) and the digital rectal examination should be offered to men at average risk.
Cancer that forms in the tissues of the skin. When cancer forms in cells that make pigment, it is called melanoma. When cancer forms in cells that do not make pigment it may begin in basal cells (small, round cells in the base of the outer layer of skin) or squamous cells (flat cells that form the surface of the skin).
Both of skin cancer usually occur in skin that has been exposed to sunlight, such as the skin on the face, neck, hands and arms. More than one million cases of basal cell or squamous cancer occur annually. Most of the forms of skin cancer are highly curable. The most serious form is melanoma.
Bladder cancer is diagnosed by examination of cells in the urine under a microscope and examination of the bladder wall with a cystoscope, a slender tube fitted with a lens and light that can be inserted through the urethra.
These tests are not recommended for screening people at average risk but are used for people at increased risk due to occupational exposure, or for follow-up after bladder cancer treatment to detect recurrent or new tumors.
Bleeding may start and stop between regular menstrual periods, or it may occur after sexual intercourse, douching, or a pelvic exam. Menstrual bleeding may last longer and be heavier than usual. Bleeding after menopause or increased vaginal discharge may also be symptoms
Most endometrial (body and lining of the uterus) cancer is diagnosed at an early stage because of postmenopausal bleeding.
Women are encouraged to report any unexpected bleeding or spotting to their physicians. Annual screening for endometrial cancer with endometrial biopsy beginning at age 35 should be offered to women with or at risk for HNPCC (hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer).
Larger tumors may become evident as a painless mass. Less common symptoms include persistent changes to the breast, such as thickening, swelling, distortion, tenderness, skin irritation, scaliness, or nipple abnormalities such as ulceration, retraction, or spontaneous discharge. Typically, breast pain results from benign conditions and is not an early symptom of breast cancer.
The earliest sign of breast cancer is usually an abnormality detected on a mammogram before it can be felt by the woman or a health care professional.
Advanced disease may cause rectal bleeding, blood in the stool, a change in bowel habits, and cramping pain in the lower abdomen.
Screening is necessary to detect colorectal cancer in its early stages.
Chronic leukemia can progress slowly with few symptoms.
Symptoms may include fatigue, paleness, weight loss, repeated infections, fever, bruising easily, and nosebleeds or other hemorrhages. In children, these signs can appear suddenly.
Symptoms may include persistent cough, sputum streaked with blood, chest pain, voice change, and recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis.
Symptoms may include swollen lymph nodes, itching, night sweats, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and intermittent fever.
In women older tan 40, persistent digestive disturbances (stomach discomfort, gas, distention) may indicate the need for an evaluation for ovarian cancer. Recent research has suggested that urinary symptoms may be another sign of ovarian cancer.
The most common sign is enlargement of the abdomen, which is caused by accumulation of fluid. Abnormal vaginal bleeding occurs rarely.
Blood in the urine; or pain or burning with urination. Continual pain in the lower back, pelvis, or upper thighs may be an indication of metastatic disease. Many of these symptoms, however, are similar to those caused by benign conditions.
Early prostate cancer usually has no symptoms. With more advanced disease, individuals may experience weak or interrupted urine flow; inability to urinate or difficulty starting or stopping the urine flow; the need to urinate frequently, especially at night.
Basal cell carcinomas may appear as flat, firm, pale areas or as small, raised, pink or red, translucent, shiny areas that may bleed following minor injury. Squamous cell cancer may appear as growing lumps, often with a rough surface, or as flat, reddish patches that grow slowly. Another sign of basal and squamous cell skin cancers is a sore that doesn’t heal.
Important warning signs of melanoma include changes in size, shape, or color of skin lesion or the appearance of a new growth on the skin. Changes that occur over a few days are generally innocuous but changes that progress over a month or more should be evaluated by your doctor.
Symptoms may include blood in the urine and increased frequency of urination.
Symptoms usually do not appear until abnormal cervical cells become cancerous and invade nearby tissue. When this happens, the most common symptom is abnormal vaginal bleeding.
Pain and systemic symptoms are late signs.
Abnormal uterine bleeding or spotting is a frequent early sign.
Studies have shown that early detection saves lives and increases treatment options. Mammography is highly accurate but like most medical tests, it is not perfect. On average, mammography will detect about 80% to 90% of breast cancers in women without symptoms. All suspicious lumps should be biopsied for a definitive diagnosis. Recent studies have shown that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appears to be more sensitive than mammography in detecting tumors in women with an inherited susceptibility to breast cancer.
Mammography can detect breast cancer at an early stage when treatment may be more effective.
Beginning at age 50, men and women who are at average risk for developing colorectal cancer should begin screening. Screening can result in the detection and removal of colorectal polyps before they become cancerous as well as the detection of cancer that is at an early stage.
When a physician does suspect leukemia, diagnosis can be made using blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy.
Because symptoms often resemble those of other, less serious conditions, leukemia can be difficult to diagnose early.
Newer tests, such as low-dose spiral computed tomography (CT) scans and molecular markers in sputum, have produced promising results in detecting lung cancers at earlier, more operable stages when survival is better. However, there are considerable risks associated with lung biopsy and surgery that must be considered when evaluating the risks and benefits of screening.
Efforts at early detection have not yet been demonstrated to reduce mortality. Chest x-ray, analysis of cells in sputum, and fiberoptic examination of the bronchial passages have shown limited effectiveness in improving survival.
However, the combination of a thorough pelvic exam, transvaginal ultrasound, and a blood test for the tumor marker CA125 should be offered to woman who are at high risk of ovarian cancer and to women who have symptoms. For women at average risk, transvaginal ultrasound and testing for the tumor marker CA125 may help in diagnosis but are not used for routine screening.
Routine screening for women at average risk is not recommended because no sufficiently accurate screening test is currently available. The pelvic examination can only occasionally detect ovarian cancer, generally when the disease is already in advanced stages.
Researchers are focusing on ways to diagnose pancreatic cancer before symptoms occur.
At present there is no method for the early detection of pancreatic cancer and the early stages of the disease are usually asymptomatic.
At this time, there are insufficient data to recommend for or against prostate cancer testing in men at average risk of developing the disease. The American Cancer Society recommends that beginning at age 50, the PSA blood test (which detects a protein made by the prostate called prostate-specific antigen) and the digital rectal examination should be offered to men at average risk.
Individuals at high risk of developing prostate cancer (African Americans or men with a strong family history) should begin screening at age 45. All men should be given information about the benefits and limitations of testing so they can make informed decisions.
A is for asymmetry (one half of the mole does not match the other half); B is for border irregularity (the edges are ragged, notched, or blurred); C is for color (the pigmentation is not uniform, with variable degrees of tan, brown, or black); D is for diameter greater than 6 millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser).
The best way to detect skin cancer early is to recognize changes in skin growths or the appearance of new growths. Adults should examine their skin regularly. Suspicious lesions or progressive changes in a lesion’s appearance or size should be evaluated promptly by a physician. Melanomas often start as small, mole-like growths that increase in size and change color. A simple ABCD rule outlines the warning signals of the most common type of melanoma,
These tests are not recommended for screening people at average risk but are used for people at increased risk due to occupational exposure, or for follow-up after bladder cancer treatment to detect recurrent or new tumors.
Bladder cancer is diagnosed by examination of cells in the urine under a microscope and examination of the bladder wall with a cystoscope, a slender tube fitted with a lens and light that can be inserted through the urethra.
DNA tests to detect HPV (human papillomavirus) strains associated with cervical cancer may be used in conjunction with the Pap test, particularly when results are equivocal. Fortunately, most cervical precancers develop slowly, so nearly all cases can be prevented if a woman is screened regularly.
The Pap test is a simple procedure in which a small sample of cells is collected from the cervix and examined under a microscope. Pap tests are effective but not perfect. Their results sometimes appear normal even when a woman has abnormal cells of the cervix, and likewise, sometimes appear abnormal when there are no abnormal lesions on the cervix.
Women are encouraged to report any unexpected bleeding or spotting to their physicians. Annual screening for endometrial cancer with endometrial biopsy beginning at age 35 should be offered to women with or at risk for HNPCC (hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer).
Most endometrial (body and lining of the uterus) cancer is diagnosed at an early stage because of postmenopausal bleeding.