Cancer is the name used for similar diseases, where the cells continuously divide and spread throughout the tissues. Therefore, it’s important to understand the different types of Cancer and how they affect the body.
Cancerous tumors are considered malignant and will spread into other tissues. Once they are removed, there is a likelihood they might grow back. However, benign tumors do not spread into other tissues, can be removed from the body and usually don’t grow back.
Cancer Cells and Normal Cells
Cancer cells are not normal cells and can take over different parts of the body. Normal cells have a specific function, but cancer cells continue to grow with no purpose. In other words, cancer cells change and grow more than normal cells and have no cause.
Cancer is related to genetics, or what a person is exposed to during the lifetime. Some of these exposures include tobacco related chemicals, radiation, or sun damage.
Cancer Types
There are multiple types of cancer and they are usually named in relation to the location in the body, such as lung, or brain cancer. For a more complete list of different types of cancer, you can search them on the National Cancer Institute website at https://www.cancer.gov/types.
Cancer Categories
Cancer falls into different types of categories as well, which include:
- Carcinomas – Carcinomas are one of the most common types of cancer and show up inside and outside the body.
- Sarcoma – Cancer that forms in muscle, fat, blood vessels, lymph vessels, tendons and ligaments.
- Leukemia – Cancer that forms in the blood.
- Lymphoma – Cancer that forms in the immune system.
- Multiple Myeloma – Another type of immune cell, multiple myeloma starts in the plasma cells.
- Melanoma – Cancer that forms on the skin and eyes.
Tumors
- Brain Tumors – Tumors that form in the brain are either benign (not cancerous), or malignant (cancerous).
- Spinal Cord – Tumors that form in the central nervous system.
- Other Tumors
- Germ Cell Tumors
- Neuroendocrine Tumors
- Carcinoid Tumors
Cancer is a very complex disease and the information above only highlights a portion of its complexity. If you would like to learn more about this disease, it’s always best to consult with your healthcare professional. Also, you can reference resources such as the National Cancer Institute website at https://www.cancer.gov/.