cancer

• cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell growth and division
• the uncontrolled cell growth and division is a result of changes that occur to the cells and results in the formation of a tumour
• a tumour is growth of abnormal cells
• not all tumours are cancerous, they can be benign or malignant
• benign tumours are not cancerous
• benign is where the tumour grows until there is no more room
• benign tumours stay in one place (usually within the membrane) rather than invading other tissues in the body
• benign tumours aren't normally dangerous
• malignant tumours are cancerous
• a malignant tumour grows and spreads to healthy tissues
• the cells in malignant tumours can break off and spread to other parts of the body via the bloodstream
• the malignant cells then invade healthy tissues elsewhere in the body and form secondary tumours
• malignant tumours are dangerous and can be fatal - they are cancerous
• carcinogens are risk factors for cancer
• smoking is linked to lung cancer, but research has also linked it to other types of cancer too, including mouth, bowel, stomach and cervical cancer
• obesity has been linked to many different cancers such as bowel, liver and kidney cancer. it's the second biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking
• uv exposure: people who are exposed to uv radiation from the sun have an increased chance of developing skin cancer
• viral infection: infection with some viruses has been shown to increase the chances of developing certain types of cancer
• carcinogens can also be associated with genetics
• sometimes you can inherit faulty genes that make you more susceptible to cancer