What is cancer, and why do we get it?

Question

Cancer is a ver big matter and alot of people survive from it but i just dont know why,Do you?

Answer 1

Cancer is not just one disease, but a large group of almost one hundred diseases. Its two main characteristics are uncontrolled growth of the cells in the human body and the ability of these cells to migrate from the original site and spread to distant sites. If the spread is not controlled, cancer can result in death.

Description

One out of every four deaths in the United States is from cancer. It is second only to heart disease as a cause of death in the states. About 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer annually; more than 500,000 die of cancer annually.

Cancer can attack anyone. Since the occurrence of cancer increases as individuals age, most of the cases are seen in adults, middle-aged or older. Sixty percent of all cancers are diagnosed in people who are older than 65 years of age. The most common cancers are skin cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer (in women), and prostate cancer (in men). In addition, cancer of the kidneys, ovaries, uterus, pancreas, bladder, rectum, and blood and lymph node cancer (leukemias and lymphomas) are also included among the 12 major cancers that affect most Americans.

Cancer, by definition, is a disease of the genes. A gene is a small part of DNA, which is the master molecule of the cell. Genes make "proteins," which are the ultimate workhorses of the cells. It is these proteins that allow our bodies to carry out all the many processes that permit us to breathe, think, move, etc.

According to the estimates of the American Cancer Society (ACS), approximately 40% of the cancer deaths in 1998 will be due to tobacco and excessive alcohol use. An additional one-third of the deaths will be related to diet and nutrition. Many of the one million skin cancers that are expected to be diagnosed in 1998 will be due to over-exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun's rays.

The major risk factors for cancer are: tobacco, alcohol, diet, sexual and reproductive behavior, infectious agents, family history, occupation, environment and pollution.
Cancer is not just one disease, but a large group of almost one hundred diseases. Its two main characteristics are uncontrolled growth of the cells in the human body and the ability of these cells to migrate from the original site and spread to distant sites. If the spread is not controlled, cancer can result in death.-

Answer 2

A normal cell in the body dies after a certain time period. Tumour cells lose this ability to die, and so when they reproduce, they create abnormal areas. What makes these cancers malignant is the ability they have to spread around the body, and grow in other areas. These areas are usually pretty well defined. For example, because of the lymphatic and vascular drainage system, colonic cancers spread to the liver, and then to the lungs. It is very rare to get colonic tumours spreading to other organs. Prostatic cancers spreads to the bones etc...each of these secondary deposits, known as a metastasis, met, disseminated disease, will look identical under a microscope to the tumour it has originated from.

What causes cancer. The list is long. Smoking is a big trigger, not just in lung, but also a plethera of head and neck/oral tumours, as is alcohol, although liver cancer, upper GI ca are also common. There is the genetic factor, the hereditoryconditions, for breast, prostatic, bowel cancers etc.. and the predisposing conditions, such as PSC leading to cholangiocarcinoma (bile ducts), cirrhosis and hepatitis infections leading to HCC (Liver primary) crohns causing some bowel cancers....etc. Finally, the cruelest of them all is just sheer bad luck. Many people strive for a reason why they have the disease, but in my experience the ones who do best are the ones who accept it earlier.

Answer 3

What I was told by one of the doctors at the bone marrow clinic...
(I've done a bone marrow donation and a stem cell donation for two guys with leukemia)

Basically, he said that cancer is abnormal cell growth and everyone gets it everyday, BUT the body's immune system handles this and removes those abnormal cells from the body. For some reason, some people's immune systems stop handling and/or recognizing these abnormal cells and it no longer removes them from your system and they continue to grow...eventually becoming tumors (benign and/or malignant).

That's the best explanation that I've heard.

Answer 4

I don't know all the technical terms but cancer is a cell gone wrong I know a lot of people die but a lot of people survive too
My mother is a cancer survivor the earlier its caught the better chance you got

Answer 5

we get cancer by two factors; precipitating and predisposing. precipitating is modifiable while predisposing is non-modifiable. under precipitating factors are age, race and hereditary. predisposing factors are lifestyle, diet, work and environment.cancer is a disease of genes. it is inherited from either paternal or maternal side or both. there is DNA damaged because of chromosomes that had been unmatched or unpaired. so the apoptosis ( programmed cell death ) evolve and p53 a tumor suppressor gene or " a guardian of a genome " responsible for prevention of mutation. in the cell cycle, when there is DNA damaged, there is apoptosis and phagocytosis. but unfortunately, our immune system is invaded by foreign bodies called carcinogens. these carcinogens came from fats and cholesterol, nicotine, nitrogen from smoked foods, preservatives, chloride, asbestos, dusty environment,viruses,bacterias, alcohol, bleaching and whitening products,junk foods,seasoning,etc. because of these our soldiers cannot defeat all of these, so rapid mutation occurred called carcinogens. that is why tumor is made because of over engulfing macrophages. until it could lead to immune systems destructions.

we can avoid these by eating healthy foods and living in a clean environment and regular exercise.

the amazing discovery of drugs will promote patients to prolong life. when someone diagnosed at early stage, the possibilty of prolong life, but in late stage, well it is not expected to live longer.

chemotherapeutic drugs were designed according to cancer by it's cell cycle.as i've mentioned , in cell cycle when there foreign bodies, there is phagocytosis to prevent disruption of cell cycle process.these drugs will help to prevent rapid mutation. that is why patients can live longer, if diagnosed at earlier stage.

Answer 6

So you want to know something about Cancers? Well read your avatar name.

Answer 7

There is way too many different types of cancer to go into.Type cancer in search.

Answer 8

Poor nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle and reduced oxygen weaken the immune system. Once that happens, our body becomes vulnerable to common stressors. Stressors can be environmental, like viruses, heavy metals, pesticides, food additives, electromagnetic waves or pollution. They can be internal things like emotional or job stress, or poisonous people in our lives. And aging is also a contributing factor.
If you put stressors into a body with a weak immune system, you get illness. Conventional medicine is still working on cures. Alternative medicine says they have found cures. You decide who's right. You can email me if you want. Best of luck

Answer 9

We all have a cancer gene - it has been found by scientists. No one knows what will set it off. It is different for everyone.

Answer 10

It is a disease and can affect any part of the body. Absolutley no one on the planet can tell you for sure why anybody gets it or where they will be affected.