Cancer

Cancer A disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue. Cancer, also called malignancy, is an abnormal growth of cells. There are more than 100 types of cancer, including breast cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma. Symptoms vary depending on the type. Cancer treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery. What Is Cancer? Throughout our lives, healthy cells in our bodies divide and replace themselves in a controlled fashion.  Cancer  starts when a cell is somehow altered so that it multiplies out of control. A tumor is a mass composed of a cluster of such abnormal cells. Most cancers form tumors, but not all tumors are cancerous. Benign, or noncancerous, tumors do not spread to other parts of the body, and do not create new tumors. Malignant, or cancerous, tumors crowd out healthy cells, interfere with body functions, and draw  nutrients  from body tissues. Cancers continue to grow and spread by dir