cancer

• Cancer - uncontrolled cell growth and division

  • benign - tumour grows till theres no room. tumour stays in 1 place rather than invading other tissues in the body - not dangerous or cancerous
  • malignant - tumour grows and spreads to healthy tissue. Cells can break off and spread to different parts of the body travelling by the bloodstream - dangerous and cancer
• risk factors

  • anyone can develop it
  • having a risk factor doesn't mean you will get cancer but just an increased chance you will develop it
  • survival rates have increased due to improved treatment, diagnose it earlier and increased screening
• Risk factors and lifestyle

  • smoking - linked to lung cancer but also linked to other cancers: mouth, bowel, stomach, cervical
  • obesity - linked to many types of cancers: liver, kidney. 2nd biggest cause
  • UV exposure - exposed to UV radiation from the sun, people who live in hotter climates or spend time outside are at higher risk of skin cancer. Also sun beds
  • viral infection - infection with some viruses has been shown to increase the chance of getting certain types of cancers. For example STI's can lead to cancers
• risk factors can be linked with genetics
• risk factors can be associated with genetics

  • inherit faulty genes that make you more at risk of getting cancer
  • mutations in the BRCA genes have been linked to an iuncrease likelihood of developing breast and ovarian cancer