. Cancer is a disease where there is uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells that spread to other parts of the body. There are almost 100 – 200 types of cancers.
Cancer occurs when the body’s normal cell division and regeneration process goes awry. Normal cells in the body follow a sequence of events - growth, division and death. This programmed cell death is called apoptosis. In cancer, this process breaks down and cells do not experience programmed death. This leads to out-of-control cell growth and division to form a mass of abnormal cells, ie, a tumour.
All tumours are not cancerous and all cancers do not form tumours. One example is leukaemia, which is cancer of the bone marrow.
Tumours can be categorised as:
· Benign tumour
· Malignant tumour
Tumours are called benign when they remain localised. Benign tumors are not cancerous and cells from such tumours do not spread to other parts of the body. Benign tumours are easy to remove by local surgery.
Malignant tumours are cancerous and grow faster than benign tumours. They can invade and destroy adjacent structures and spread to distant sites. The spreading of cancer is called metastasis.
The diagnosis method includes taking a biopsy. The common treatment methods are Chemotherapy and radiation. The medication methods are tablets and medicines and regular follow up with the doctor. Come let’s all discuss to make our community fight back Cancer.