Your Chances of Surviving Cancer

Understanding cancer is not difficult if we startThe serious part of this is that malignant tumours
looking at cancer from the inside. The cancer starts inmetastasize to other organs of the body and
the cells, and Cells can break off from a malignantcontinue developing unlimitedly.
tumour and start to grow in another part of theIn the other hand Benign tumors can often be
body, this is known as a secondary tumour. Cells inremoved by surgery, and they are not likely to
these tumors are abnormal and divide without controlreturn. Some tumors of the testicle are benign, but
or order. They can invade and damage nearbymost are not. Benign tumors are not usually life
tissues and organs. Cells grow by dividing in half, suchthreatening. Benign tumors, although they may cause
that one cell will become two, and two become foursome health problems depending on their size and
(these new cells are called daughter cells), etc .location, are not life-threatening.
Normally, there are very strict rules as to when a cellBenign (noncancerous) tumors can also grow
can grow or not.anywhere in your mouth. Benign tumors are
Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other partswell-differentiated, in other words, they differ only
of the body. Most important, benign tumors areslightly in appearance and behavior from their tissue
rarely a threat to life. Cells deprived of oxygen dieof origin. These tumors are slow growing and
and decay, which is why some cancers have an odor.noninvasive, do not spread throughout the body, and
The term for this new blood vessel growth iswill often have a fibrous tissue capsule around them.
angiogenesis.Treatments are related to a particular cancer usual
Obviously as you may know already, malignantbehavior. For a cancer that is aggressive locally
tumors are cancerous. These tumors contain cells(where it is first detected), local treatments such as
that divide and grow without order. Malignant tumorssurgery, radiation therapy, and photodynamic therapy
(cancers) can spread to other tissues or organsmay be used. Treatment depends on the kind of
nearby or to other parts of the body. This is calledtreatment the patient had when first treated. If the
metastasis . Malignant tumors are tumors that arepatient had surgery alone, the patient may have
capable of spreading by invasion and metastasis. Bysurgery again or radiation therapy.
definition, the term "cancer" applies only to malignantRadiation therapy destroys or damages cancer cells
tumors. Malignant means that the disease, if notby targeting high energy x-rays to the tissues.
treated, can progress and lead to death. MalignantRadiation therapy is usually painless and is provided in
tumors are cancer. Cancer cells can invade andan out patient setting. Radiation is a special kind of
damage tissues and organs near the tumor. Malignantenergy carried by waves or a stream of particles
tissues can invade and damage other tissues andoriginating from radioactive substances and delivered
organs. Cancer cells can then break away from theby special machines. These radioactive x-rays or
tumour and enter the bloodstream or lymphaticgamma rays can penetrate the cell wall and damage
system, spreading the cancer to other parts of thethe nucleus of the cell which prevents growth and
body.division of cells.