Patient Education Cancer Care | Page 5

Learning about Cancer The word cancer describes many diseases, but all cancers are caused by cells that grow quickly and may spread to other parts of the body. In normal body tissues, cell growth and death are kept in balance. This is the body’s natural cycle — to get rid of old cells with new ones. Cancer cells change this cycle. Cells that grow fast may form lumps or masses of tissue called tumors. Some tumors grow quickly, others slowly. All tumors will increase in size because new cells are being made faster than old cells die. Metastasis • Occurs when cancer cells travel through blood and lymph fl uid from the tumor (called the primary site) to another part or parts of the body • Example — prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone is not bone cancer, but rather prostate cancer that has spread to the bone Common Types of Cancer Carcinomas Benign Tumors • Are named for body parts • Are the most common types of cancers • Include lung, colon, breast, and ovarian cancers • Are not cancer • Are made up of cells that look like healthy tissue cells • Remain in tight groups • Do not invade nearby healthy tissues and organs • Include fatty tumors called lipomas Sarcomas • Develop in cells found in the support tissues of the body • Include cancer of the bone, cartilage, fat, and muscle Malignant Tumors • Are made up of cancer cells • May develop from normal cells, but over time and through many steps become unhealthy cancer cells • May invade nearby healthy tissues and organs • May spread to other parts of the body Lymphomas • Begin in lymph nodes and tissues of the body’s immune system • Include cancers such as Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas Leukemias • Begin in immature blood cells that grow in the bone marrow • Grow quickly and collect in large numbers in the bloodstream 4