Cancer
hideCancer (medical term: malignant neoplasm) is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood). These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, and do not invade or metastasize. Most cancers form a tumor but some, like leukemia, do not. The branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer is oncology.
Cancer may affect people at all ages, even fetuses, but the risk for most varieties increases with age. Cancer causes about 13% of all human deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, 7.6 million people died from cancer in the world during 2007. Cancers can affect all animals.
Nearly all cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells. These abnormalities may be due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents. Other cancer-promoting genetic abnormalities may be randomly acquired through errors in DNA replication, or are inherited, and thus present in all cells from birth. The heritability of cancers are usually affected by complex interactions between carcinogens and the host's genome. New aspects of the genetics of cancer pathogenesis, such as DNA methylation, and microRNAs are increasingly recognized as important.
Genetic abnormalities found in cancer typically affect two general classes of genes. Cancer-promoting oncogenes are typically activated in cancer cells, giving those cells new properties, such as hyperactive growth and division, protection against programmed cell death, loss of respect for normal tissue boundaries, and the ability to become established in diverse tissue environments. Tumor suppressor genes are then inactivated in cancer cells, resulting in the loss of normal functions in those cells, such as accurate DNA replication, control over the cell cycle, orientation and adhesion within tissues, and interaction with protective cells of the immune system.
Diagnosis usually requires the histologic examination of a tissue biopsy specimen by a pathologist, although the initial indication of malignancy can be symptoms or radiographic imaging abnormalities. Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As research develops, treatments are becoming more specific for different varieties of cancer. There has been significant progress in the development of targeted therapy drugs that act specifically on detectable molecular abnormalities in certain tumors, and which minimize damage to normal cells. The prognosis of cancer patients is most influenced by the type of cancer, as well as the stage, or extent of the disease. In addition, histologic grading and the presence of specific molecular markers can also be useful in establishing prognosis, as well as in determining individual treatments.
For more information about Cancer, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with cancer treatment
Inventor seeks next big thing in cancer fight
Nov 18, 2009 |
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Robert Goldman is a geek's geek, a Silicon Valley inventor who likes to know exactly how things work.
Cancer patients want honesty, compassion from their oncologist
Nov 04, 2009 |
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What do patients want from their radiation oncologists? The most significant preference is that more than one-third of female cancer patients (37 percent) prefer to have their hands held by their radiation oncologists during ...
Survivors of childhood cancer less likely to marry
Oct 08, 2009 |
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Childhood cancer survivors typically suffer from the long-term effects of cancer treatment on physical health, and results of a new study suggest that social implications also exist, which may affect their ...
Studies find few risks to newborn offspring of parents who are childhood cancer survivors
Oct 01, 2009 |
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Whether they can have children is one of the major concerns for adult survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer because fertility can be compromised by cancer treatment. For cancer survivors who can have children, two ...
Obesity hinders chemotherapy treatment in children with leukemia
Sep 22, 2009 |
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Obesity is an important factor contributing to chemotherapy resistance and increasing relapse rates among children with leukemia, according to recent findings published online first in Cancer Research, a jour ...
Generic versions of biologic medications are coming
Sep 08, 2009 |
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The days of market exclusivity could soon come to an end for the biotech industry if Congress moves forward with plans to allow generic biologics on the U.S. market.
Researchers investigate ultrasound use to treat cancer
Aug 26, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It’s hard to imagine that cells and sound are related, but they are. According to one Ryerson University researcher, this relationship could mean big changes in cancer treatment, including ...
New DNA test uses nanotechnology to find early signs of cancer
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Aug 17, 2009 |
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Using tiny crystals called quantum dots, Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a highly sensitive test to look for DNA attachments that often are early warning signs of cancer.
Cancer: A Silver Lining?
Jun 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Cancer-the word resonates in people’s nightmares and strikes fear in the hearts of millions. Can there be a positive side amidst the panic, anxiety and hopeless feelings that often accompany the word? The ...
Nanoparticles could someday lead to end of chemotherapy
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Jun 16, 2009 |
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Nanoparticles specially engineered by University of Central Florida Assistant Professor J. Manuel Perez and his colleagues could someday target and destroy tumors, sparing patients from toxic, whole-body chemotherapies.
Novel light-sensitive compounds show promise for cancer therapy
Jun 16, 2009 |
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Chemists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have developed novel compounds that show promise for photodynamic cancer therapy, which uses light-activated drugs to kill tumor cells.
Decision tool for prostate cancer patients helps men customize treatment in anxious time
Jun 15, 2009 |
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An online decision tool created in part by a graduate student at the University of California Irvine helps men diagnosed with prostate cancer sort through an intimidating flurry of possible treatments and customize treatment ...
Green tea: Seeking hope in a dose of nature
Jun 10, 2009 |
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Once a day, Matthew Hudson takes a square of chocolate mixed with green-tea extract and lets it dissolve in his mouth.
'A sad case': She chose herbals over surgery
Jun 09, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Leslee Flasch worked in a hospice. She had seen cancer treatments fail. Now doctors were saying she needed her colon removed to treat her rectal cancer. Barely 50 years old, she would have to wear a colostomy bag ...
Many breast cancer patients take high doses of antioxidants despite possible consequences
Jun 08, 2009 |
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A new study finds that many women with breast cancer take antioxidant supplements while undergoing cancer treatment, even though the consequences of doing so are unknown. Published in the July 15, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer ...
