Treatment Information by Cancer
Cancer Information :
Cancer is a group of more than 100 different diseases. Cancer occurs when, for unknown reasons, cells become abnormal and divide without control or order.
The change from normal to cancerous cells requires several separate, different gene alterations. Eventually, altered genes and uncontrolled growth may produce a tumour that can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer).
Malignant tumours can invade, damage and destroy nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumour will not spread to other parts of the body, but local tissue may be damaged and the growth may need to be removed.
A malignant tumour can invade surrounding tissue and destroy it. Cancer cells can also break away from a malignant tumour and enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. This is how cancer spreads within the body.
Cancer that spreads to other parts of the body is the same disease and has the same name as the original cancer.
When breast cancer spreads, it is called metastatic breast cancer even though it is found in another part of the body. For example, breast cancer that has spread to the bones is called metastatic breast cancer, not bone cancer.
All cancers caused by cigarette smoking and heavy use of alcohol could be prevented completely. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2001 about 172,000 cancer deaths in the United States are expected to be caused by tobacco use, and about 19,000 cancer deaths may be related to excessive alcohol use, frequently in combination with tobacco use.
Regular screening examination by a healthcare professional can result in the detection of cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, testis, oral cavity, and skin at earlier stages, when treatment is more likely to be successful.
The screening - accessible cancers account for about half of all new cancer cases. The 5-year relative survival rate for these cancers is about 81%. If all of these cancers were diagnosed at a localised stage through regular cancer screening, this rate would increase to 95%.
