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introduction 1
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.
Many cancers form solid tumors, which are masses of tissue. 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 is the differences between Cancer Cells and Normal
Cells?
Cancer cells differ from normal cells in many ways that allow them to grow out
of control and become invasive. One important difference is that cancer cells
are less specialized than normal cells. That is, whereas normal cells mature
into very distinct cell types with specific functions, cancer cells do not. This is
one reason that, unlike normal cells, cancer cells continue to divide without
stopping.
In addition, cancer cells are able to ignore signals that normally tell cells to
stop dividing or that begin a process known as programmed cell death, or
apoptosis, which the body uses to get rid of unneeded cells.
Cancer cells may be able to influence the normal cells, molecules, and blood
vessels that surround and feed a tumor (tumor is an area known as the
microenvironment). For instance, cancer cells can induce nearby normal cells
to form blood vessels that supply tumors with oxygen and nutrients, which they
need to grow. These blood vessels also remove waste products from tumors.
Cancer cells are also often able to evade the immune system, a network of
organs, tissues, and specialized cells that protects the body from infections
and other conditions. Although the immune system normally removes
damaged or abnormal cells from the body, some cancer cells are able to “hide”
from the immune system.
Tumors can also use the immune system to stay alive and grow. For example,
with the help of certain immune system cells that normally prevent a
runaway immune response, cancer cells can actually keep the immune system
from killing cancer cells.
How Cancer Arises?
Genetic changes that cause cancer can be inherited from our parents. They
can also arise during a person’s lifetime as a result of errors that occur as cells
divide or because of damage to DNA caused by certain environmental
exposures. Cancer-causing environmental exposures include substances,
such as the chemicals in tobacco smoke, and radiation, such as ultraviolet rays
from the sun. (Our Cancer Causes and Prevention section has more
information).
Tumor suppressor genes are also involved in controlling cell growth and
division. Cells with certain alterations in tumor suppressor genes may divide in
an uncontrolled manner.
DNA repair genes are involved in fixing damaged DNA. Cells with mutations in
these genes tend to develop additional mutations in other genes. Together,
these mutations may cause the cells to become cancerous.
As scientists have learned more about the molecular changes that lead to
cancer, they have found that certain mutations commonly occur in many types
of cancer. Because of this, cancers are sometimes characterized by the types
of genetic alterations that are believed to be driving them, not just by where
they develop in the body and how the cancer cells look under the microscope.
When Cancer Spreads?
A cancer that has spread from the place where it first started to another place
in the body is called metastatic cancer. The process by which cancer cells
spread to other parts of the body is called metastasis.
Metastatic cancer has the same name and the same type of cancer cells as
the original, or primary, cancer. For example, breast cancer that spreads to
and forms a metastatic tumor in the lung is metastatic breast cancer, not lung
cancer.
Under a microscope, metastatic cancer cells generally look the same as cells
of the original cancer. Moreover, metastatic cancer cells and cells of the
original cancer usually have some molecular features in common, such as the
presence of specific chromosome changes.
Treatment may help prolong the lives of some people with metastatic cancer.
In general, though, the primary goal of treatments for metastatic cancer is to
control the growth of the cancer or to relieve symptoms caused by it.
Metastatic tumors can cause severe damage to how the body functions, and
most people who die of cancer die of metastatic disease.
In metastasis, cancer cells break away from where they first formed (primary
cancer), travel through the blood or lymph system, and form new tumors
(metastatic tumors) in other parts of the body. The metastatic tumor is the
same type of cancer as the primary tumor.
How Cancer Spreads?
The diagram below shows a tumour in the cells lining a body structure such as
the bowel wall. The tumour grows through the layer holding the cells in place
(the basement membrane). Some cells can break away and go into small
lymph vessels or blood vessels called capillaries in the area.
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer
This is quite a complicated process and most cancer cells don't survive
it. Probably, out of many thousands of cancer cells that reach the
bloodstream, only a few will survive to form a secondary cancer.
Some cancer cells are probably killed off by the white blood cells in our
immune system. Others cancer cells may die because they get battered
around by the fast flowing blood.
Cancer cells in the circulation may try to stick to platelets to form clumps
to give themselves some protection. Platelets are blood cells that help
the blood to clot. This may also help the cancer cells to move into the
surrounding tissues.
Tissue Changes that Are Not Cancer
Not every change in the body’s tissues is cancer. Some tissue changes may
develop into cancer if they are not treated, however. Here are some examples
of tissue changes that are not cancer but, in some cases, are monitored:
Hyperplasia occurs when cells within a tissue divide faster than normal and
extra cells build up, or proliferate. However, the cells and the way the tissue is
organized look normal under a microscope. Hyperplasia can be caused by
several factors or conditions, including chronic irritation.
The kidneys are made up of different types of cells. The type of cancer you have
depends on the type of cell the cancer starts in.
The most common type of kidney cancer is renal cell cancer. It starts in
the cells lining the tubules (the smallest tubes) inside the nephrons.
Smoking
Being overweight
Exposure to benzene
Genetic reason
Family history
Liver
Primary liver cancer is a malignant tumour that starts in the liver. The main type
of primary liver cancer that can affect adults is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
HCC starts in the hepatocytes, the liver's main cell type, and is also known as
hepatoma. This section focuses on HCC.
A less common type of liver cancer can start in the bile ducts that connect the
liver to the bowel and gall bladder. This is known as cholangiocarcinoma or bile
duct cancer.
A very rare type of liver cancer that starts in the blood vessels is known as
angiosarcoma. Hepatoblastoma is a form of liver cancer that affects only young
children and is also very rare.
Thyroid cancer
Thyroid cancer is type of cancer that affects the thyroid gland, a small gland at
the base of the neck.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other organs in the body.
In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and more than one colour.
They may also be larger than normal moles and can sometimes be itchy or bleed.
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ
behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass.
These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body.
Risk factors
Tobacco smoking.
Obesity.
Diabetes.
Certain rare genetic condition.
Diagnostic method
Medical imaging.
Blood tests.
Tissue biopsy.
Prevention
Not smoking.
Maintaining a healthy weight.
Low red meat diet.
Treatment
Surgery.
Radiotherapy.
Chemotherapy.
Palliative care.