Cancer

Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bleeding, prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss, and a change in bowel movements.

Cancer symptoms are changes in the body caused by the presence of cancer.

These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread.

Benign tumors generally have a slower growth rate than malignant tumors and the tumor cells are usually more differentiated (cells have normal features).

Another 10% are due to obesity, poor diet, lack of physical activity or excessive drinking of alcohol.

Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases and conditions, particularly cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, and depression.

Cancer can be detected by certain signs and symptoms or screening tests. Early detection through screening is useful for cervical and colorectal cancer.

Cancer screening aims to detect cancer before symptoms appear.

In the developing world, 15% of cancers are due to infections such as Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, human papillomavirus infection, Epstein–Barr virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

AIDS is a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive.

Early detection through screening is useful for cervical and colorectal cancer.

Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix.

Early detection through screening is useful for cervical and colorectal cancer. The most common types of cancer in males are lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and stomach cancer. For example, mass effects from lung cancer can block the bronchus resulting in cough or pneumonia; esophageal cancer can cause narrowing of the esophagus, making it difficult or painful to swallow; and colorectal cancer may lead to narrowing or blockages in the bowel, affecting bowel habits.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine).

The benefits of screening in breast cancer are controversial.

Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue.

Cancer is often treated with some combination of radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

Chemotherapy is one of the major categories of the medical discipline specifically devoted to pharmacotherapy for cancer, which is called medical oncology.

Cancer is often treated with some combination of radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

Targeted therapy or molecularly targeted therapy is one of the major modalities of medical treatment (pharmacotherapy) for cancer, others being hormonal therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy.

The chance of survival depends on the type of cancer and extent of disease at the start of treatment.

Cancer staging is the process of determining the extent to which a cancer has developed by growing and spreading.

The most common types of cancer in males are lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and stomach cancer.

Prostate cancer is the development of cancer in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system.

If skin cancer other than melanoma were included in total new cancer cases each year, it would account for around 40% of cases.

Melanoma, also known as malignant melanoma, is a type of cancer that develops from the pigment-containing cells known as melanocytes.

In children, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and brain tumors are most common, except in Africa where non-Hodgkin lymphoma occurs more often.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cells characterized by the development of large numbers of immature lymphocytes.

The most common types of cancer in males are lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and stomach cancer.

Most cancers that start in the lung, known as primary lung cancers, are carcinomas.

Metastasis is the spread of cancer to other locations in the body.

Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor.

For example, mass effects from lung cancer can block the bronchus resulting in cough or pneumonia; esophageal cancer can cause narrowing of the esophagus, making it difficult or painful to swallow; and colorectal cancer may lead to narrowing or blockages in the bowel, affecting bowel habits.

Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach.

The typical steps in metastasis are local invasion, intravasation into the blood or lymph, circulation through the body, extravasation into the new tissue, proliferation and angiogenesis.

For cancer, invasion is the direct extension and penetration by cancer cells into neighboring tissues.

It caused about 8.8 million deaths (15.7% of deaths).

Some cancers can cause a systemic inflammatory state that leads to ongoing muscle loss and weakness, known as cachexia.

A range of diseases can cause cachexia, most commonly cancer, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease and AIDS.

Some types of cancer such as Hodgkin disease, leukemias and cancers of the liver or kidney can cause a persistent fever.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cells called lymphocytes.

Some types of cancer such as Hodgkin disease, leukemias and cancers of the liver or kidney can cause a persistent fever.

Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer and primary hepatic cancer, is cancer that starts in the liver.

Cancer is often treated with some combination of radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

The majority of epithelial cancers are only moderately radiosensitive, and require a significantly higher dose of radiation (60-70 Gy) to achieve a radical cure.

Some types of cancer such as Hodgkin disease, leukemias and cancers of the liver or kidney can cause a persistent fever.

Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney.

It is then typically further investigated by medical imaging and confirmed by biopsy.

Pathologic examination of a biopsy can determine whether a lesion is benign or malignant, and can help differentiate between different types of cancer.