Cancer

Approximately 28 million people are living with cancer worlwide.  Almost 8 million lives are taken each year by cancer.  Cancer claims more lives than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis altogether.  One third of all cancer incidents are preventable, and one third of all cancer incidents are treatable if found early and treated with the proper resources.

The following is the definition of cancer from the Canadian Cancer Society.

Cancer is a disease that starts in our cells. Genes inside each cell tell it to grow, work, reproduce and die. Usually, our cells listen to these orders and stay healthy. However, sometimes the instructions get mixed up, causing the cells to form lumps or tumours, or spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body. 

Tumours can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumour cells stay in one place in the body and are usually not life-threatening. 

Malignant tumour cells are able to invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. Cancer cells that spread to other parts of the body are called metastases. 

The first sign that a malignant tumour has spread (metastasized) is often swelling of nearby lymph nodes, but cancer can metastasize to almost any part of the body. It is important to find malignant tumours as early as possible. 

Cancers are named after the part of the body where they start. For example, cancer that starts in the bladder but spreads to the lung is called bladder cancer with lung metastases.


For more information please contact your doctor.