What is Cancer?

Cancer is one of the most feared diseases in the world

and it affects over 11 lakh people every year in India
alone. Worldwide, more than 10 million people succumb
to this disease every year. Let us explore what is cancer,
the causes of cancer, symptoms, diagnosis, and
treatment of cancer.

In humans, cell differentiation and proliferation are highly

manipulated and regularized by the cell division mechanism.
Uncontrolled cell division occurs when a process called contact
inhibition fails. In healthy organisms, during this process, when
cells come in contact with other cells, the process of cell
replication ceases.

As a result, contact inhibition becomes a powerful anti-cancer

mechanism, but it is lost in cancer cells. Hence, most types of
cancer have tumours (except for cancers of the blood).

Types of Tumour
A tumour is classified into one of these three types based on its
ability to undergo metastasis (spreading):

Benign Tumour
These tumours are localized at a particular location in the body.
Moreover, it does not spread to the other parts of the body and is
generally harmless. However, when a benign tumour occurs in
areas such as the brain, it can turn fatal. Treatment often involves
surgery and it does not grow back.

Malignant Tumour
These tumours are cancerous – meaning that they will grow
quickly and spread to other normal tissues of the body. This ability
to spread is called metastasis. Usually, cancer cells metastasize
when it gets into the bloodstream or the lymph nodes and form
secondary tumours across various sites in the body.

Premalignant Tumour
This type of tumour may be benign but is observed to have the
characteristics of a malignant tumour. It may not have
metastasized yet, but it has the potential to turn cancerous. In
other words, a premalignant tumour is a type of tumour that has
an increased risk of becoming cancer. Benign tumours become
premalignant and eventually, malignant.

Types of Cancer
From a medical perspective, cancer types can be classified based
on the type of cell they originated from. Therefore cancer can be
classified into:
Carcinoma
The most common form of cancer, it originates from the epithelial
cells

Sarcoma
Originates from the connective tissues such as cartilage, fat and
bone tissues.

Melanoma
Originates from melanocytes, which are a type of cell that
contains pigments.

Lymphoma & Leukaemia

Originates from the cells that comprise blood (such as b
lymphocytes or white blood cells)

How common is cancer?

Cancer is the second most common cause of death worldwide.
Researchers estimate that in 2024, over 2 million people living in
the U.S. will receive a cancer diagnosis, and over 611,000 people
will die from the disease.

About 1 in 4 people will develop cancer at some point during their

lifetime.
The most common cancers in the U.S. are:
 Breast cancer.
 Lung cancer.
 Prostate cancer.
 Colorectal cancer.
 Blood cancers.
 Breast cancer.
 Lung cancer.
 Prostate cancer.
 Colorectal cancer.
 Blood cancers.

Symptoms
Signs and symptoms caused by cancer will vary depending on what part of
the body is affected.
Some general signs and symptoms associated with, but not specific to,
cancer, include:
 Fatigue
 Lump or area of thickening that can be felt under the skin
 Weight changes, including unintended loss or gain
 Skin changes, such as yellowing, darkening or redness of the
skin, sores that won't heal, or changes to existing moles
 Changes in bowel or bladder habits
 Persistent cough or trouble breathing
 Difficulty swallowing
 Hoarseness
 Persistent indigestion or discomfort after eating
 Persistent, unexplained muscle or joint pain
 Persistent, unexplained fevers or night sweats
  Unexplained bleeding or bruising

Causes of Cancer
Many factors are attributed to causing cancer. The most probable
factors include:

o Physical factors – Ionizing radiation, such as X-rays and

gamma rays
o Chemical factors – Such as tobacco and smoke
o Biological factors – Viral oncogenes, proto-oncogenes and
cellular oncogenes
The above factors are called carcinogens

Risk factors
There isn’t one single cause for cancer. Rather, certain things can increase
your chance of developing it, like:
 Family history. If you have close biological family members
(parents, siblings, grandparents) who have cancer, you have
a higher risk of developing it.
 Smoking. Smoking tobacco or using e-cigarettes increases
your chance of developing lung, esophageal, pancreatic and
oral cancer.
  Environmental factors. Exposure to toxins in your
environment, like asbestos, pesticides and radon, can
eventually lead to cancer.
 Malnutrition. High-fat or high-sugar foods can increase your
risk for many types of cancer. You’re also more vulnerable to
disease if you don’t get enough physical activity.
 Hormone therapy. Women and people assigned female at
birth (AFAB) taking hormone replacement therapy may have
an increased risk for breast cancer and uterine cancer.
 Radiation exposure. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun
significantly increases your risk of developing skin cancer.
Over-exposure to radiation therapy can also be a risk factor.

Diagnosis of Cancer
The detection and diagnosis of cancer are very important before it
spreads to other parts of the body. Identification of cancer genes
is pivotal to prevent cancer.

The following methods are used to detect cancer –

 Biopsy.
 Histopathological studies of tissue.
 Radiography technique.
 Computed tomography.
 Magnetic resonance imaging.
 Molecular biology techniques
Treatment of Cancer
Commonly, three types of treatment are available for cancer.

1) Surgery – Surgically removing localized cancerous mass

(Effective for benign tumours)
2) Radiation therapy – In this therapy, radiation is used to kill
the cancer cells.
3) Chemotherapy – Chemotherapeutic drugs are used to kill
cancer cells.
4) Many chemical drugs have side effects in cancer patients like
hair loss. So, interferons are injected into cancer patients to
develop immunity against these side effects.

Prevention
Can cancer be prevented?
We can’t always prevent cancer, especially when unavoidable risk
factors cause it. But there are things you can do to lower your
risk:

1) If you smoke or use tobacco, try to stop. Ask a healthcare

provider about smoking cessation programs that can help
you quit tobacco.
2) Follow a nutrition plan that’s healthy for you.
3) Include physical activity in your daily routine.
 4) Avoid environmental toxins like asbestos and pesticides.
5) Protect yourself against sun damage.
6) Have regular cancer screenings.

What are cancer survival rates?

Survival rates are estimates based on the experiences of large
groups of people with different kinds of cancer. Like prognoses,
survival rates vary based on cancer type, stage and treatment.

It’s important to remember that survival rates are only estimates.

They can’t tell you how long you’ll live or how your body will
respond to certain treatments. Your healthcare provider can tell
you more about survival rates and what they mean for you.