Introduction to Cancer

Did you know that half of all men and one out of every three women are told at some point in their lives that they have cancer? Or did you also know that there are over 100 types of cancer and that any part of the human body can be affected by cancer? Also, cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States!

Okay, so maybe these are some pretty hard facts to hear or accept. However, I want to make sure that you are prepared to live your lives with an understanding of how to live healthy. We will start simple and along the way we will work towards knowing the important information about cancer, how to prevent it, and how to be healthy people.

So, what is cancer? Well, the definition of cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. In other words, the definition of cancer is difficult for anyone to understand at first so maybe a short video from the Cancer Treatment Centers of America can help.

Now, a quick review: the cells in our body get damaged or grow old and die, so they need new ones to replace them. And sometimes as new cells are trying to take the place of the broken or old cells, they grow too fast or don’t grow in the right way. When this happens a group of these fast-growing cells form what is called a tumor. A tumor is simply a mass of tissue that is a result of the fast-growing cells. It is when a tumor is discovered when a person can actually see the formation of the cancer. However, some cancers do not form tumors such as leukemia, so it can be harder to see these types of cancers.

With this small and simple introduction to cancer, we will now be able to discuss healthy life practices and learn more about the specific types of cancer and how they are treated. Cancer can occur in any part of the human body, so it is important that you know how to live healthy lives so your whole body can be free from sicknesses. The decisions you make every day can be the smallest factors to help you be able to live comfortably and healthy.