In 2022, there will be an estimated 1.9 million new cancer cases diagnosed.
In 2022, there will be an estimated 1.9 million new cancer cases diagnosed. This article is comprehensive and covers topics individuals learning about cancer will find helpful.
Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells.
The article includes:
- The Definition of Cancer
- Differences between Cancer Cells and Normal Cells
- How Does Cancer Develop?
- Types of Genes that Cause Cancer
- When Cancer Spreads
- Tissue Changes that Are Not Cancer
- Types of Cancer
Fortunately, we are learning new and effective ways to target and combat different types of cancer. We found this article when searching Google for “how cancer spreads”.
How Does Cancer Develop?
Cancer is a genetic disease — that is, it is caused by changes to genes that control the way our cells function, especially how they grow and divide.
Genetic changes that cause cancer can happen because:
- of errors that occur as cells divide.
- of damage to DNA caused by harmful substances in the environment, such as the chemicals in tobacco smoke and ultraviolet rays from the sun. (Our Cancer Causes and Prevention section has more information.)
- they were inherited from our parents.
The body normally eliminates cells with damaged DNA before they turn cancerous. But the body’s ability to do so goes down as we age. This is part of the reason why there is a higher risk of cancer later in life.
Each person’s cancer has a unique combination of genetic changes. As the cancer continues to grow, additional changes will occur. Even within the same tumor, different cells may have different genetic changes.
