Cancers

• Tumor


  An abnormal mass of cells that forms when a group of cells undergo uncontrolled growth and division
• Types of tumors


  • Benign
  • Malignant
• Benign tumor


  • The abnormal group of cells are contained within one area, usually within a membrane, and because they stay in that one place they're not normally dangerous
• Malignant tumor


  • Don't stay in one place, they're able to invade other tissues and spread to different parts of the body where they can form new secondary tumors, this process can cause a lot of damage to our body making malignant tumors far more dangerous and potentially fatal
• Malignant tumors are classified as cancer
• Risk factors for cancer

  • Smoking
  • Obesity
  • Ultraviolet light exposure
  • Drinking alcohol
  • Inherited genes (e.g. BRCA genes)
• Smoking


  Linked to lung cancer, mouth cancer, stomach cancer, and cervical cancer
• Obesity


  Linked to bowel cancer, liver cancer, and kidney cancer
• Ultraviolet light exposure


  Strongly linked to skin cancer
• Drinking alcohol


  Linked to increased risk of liver cancer
• Inherited genes (e.g. BRCA genes)

  Make people more susceptible to certain cancers (e.g. breast and ovarian cancer)