Understanding Cancer

What is Cancer?

Cancer is a group of more than 100 diseases that develop over time› Involve the uncontrolled division of the

body’s cells

Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in the US

What is Cancer?

More than 2,300 years ago, Hippocrates observed that the veins off of some breast tumors looked like limbs of a crab so the Latin word for crab was eventually used for all tumors

What is Cancer?

Tumor: mass of cells› May remain within the tissue in which it

originated (in situ or benign cancer)› May begin to invade nearby tissues (invasive or

malignant cancer)› Cells can move through the blood or lymph

system and create tumors elsewhere in the body (metastatic cancer)

What is Cancer?

Stages of tumor development:

› Mutation› Hyperplasia› Dysplasia› In situ cancer (benign tumor)› Invasive cancer (malignant cancer)› Cells can move through the blood or lymph

system and create tumors elsewhere in the body (metastatic cancer)

What is Cancer?

The type of cancer depends on it’s location

Each type of cancer has its own growth rate, prognosis, and treatability

How Likely are You to get Cancer?

Lifetime Risk› The probability that you will develop

cancer› Men have a one in two lifetime risk› Women have a one in three lifetime risk

Relative Risk› Your individual risk based on genetics and

risk factors

Surviving Cancer

Incidence Rate: › The number of new cases per 100,000

people Mortality Rate:

› The number of deaths per 100,000 people per year

Survival Rate:› The proportion of patients alive at a given

point after their diagnosis of cancer The chance of surviving cancer increases with

earlier detection and treatment

Cancer in Children

Cancer in children is relatively rare; only 14.1 cases per 100,000 children under the age of 15

However, after accidents, Cancer is the second leading cause of childhood death in the US.

Leukemias and cancers of the brain and nervous system account for more than ½ the cancers among children.

Preventing Cancer

Levels of cancer prevention› Individual behavior changes is critical› Health care providers – provide both

counseling and screening› National level – government regulations to

minimize public exposure to known carcinogens

› International level – actions of developed countries can effect the incidence of cancer worldwide

Lung Cancer

Liver Cancer

Mouth and face Cancer

Intestinal Cancer

Skin Cancer

Ovarian Cancer

Thyroid Cancer