
Posted in: Uncategorized by cancerhealercenter
We all have cells that could become cancerous due to various factors. With normal functioning of the immune system, the body can remove these cancer cells. But if the immune system is weakened or exposed to external factors like cigarette smoke, excess sunlight/ alcohol then these cells can turn into cancerous cells/ tumor. All cancers begin in the cell. The body consists of different types of cells and they are produced when required and replaced when they become old or damaged. But sometimes this process goes wrong, mutation occurs and cells do not die when they should and new cells are produced when not required. These extra cells results in the formation of a mass of cells called Tumor.
Not all tumors are cancerous; they can be either benign (not cancerous) - they are not as harmful as cancerous cells and will not spread in the other parts of the body. Also they can be removed and will not be formed again. Or can be malign (cancerous) – they can spread to the other parts of the body and also if removed they might be formed again. Cancer is a disease which is formed when cells divide abnormally and invade other parts through blood and lymph system. Cancer is not a single disease but many diseases (more than 200 types of cancers have been detected till date). The main categories of cancer include
Carcinoma:
This type of cancer begins in the skin or tissues lining the internal organs like Melanoma cancer
Sarcoma
This type of cancer begins in the bone, cartilage, fats, muscles, blood vessels and connective tissues like breast cancer3
Leukemia
This type of cancer begins in the blood forming tissues (bone marrow) like myeloid leukemia
Lymphoma and myeloma
This type of cancer begins in the cells of the immune system like hodgkin lymphoma
Central nervous system cancer: This type of cancer begins in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. There are various factors that results in tumor formation:
Age: Most types of cancers become more common as we grow old. This is because a normal cell will become cancerous during a course of time either due to accidental change in the division of the cells or by external factors like smoking/ radiation etc.
Genetic Makeup: As mentioned earlier there need to be a series of changes before a cell becomes cancerous. Sometimes a person is born with some mutation, and this can result in further mutation resulting in cancerous cell. (Note: It’s not necessary that a person will certainly get cancer). The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are one of the examples. Women born with these genes have 3% chances of developing cancer than women born without these genes.
Immune System: People who have weak immune system are prone to develop cancer. This is usually common in people who have HIV/AIDS or have had organ transplant or born with rare medical syndromes.
Tobacco consumption/ Smoking: Smoking and chewing tobacco can increase the risk of cancers of the lungs, mouth, throat, bladder, kidney and other organs.
Diet/ Physical activity: Excess red/ processed meat (fewer intakes of fruits and vegetables) can increase the risk of cancer. Also cancer has been linked with lack of physical activity/ overweight issues.
Environmental factors: Excess sunlight, radiations from nuclear power plants/ x-rays etc. are few of the external factors that can lead to the development of cancer.
Viruses: They can result in the change of the genetic makeup of the cells and make the body susceptible to develop cancer (Example: Hepatitis A and B virus- Liver cancer). It is not necessary that you develop a cancer when you are infected by these viruses but this can be an added factor.
Above were few of the reasons for development of cancer. But no particular cause has been found out till date. Hence it is advisable to always take precautions and maintain a healthy standard of living and visit the Doctors regularly because Precaution is always better than cure.