What Is Cancer?

Introduction

With 1 in 3 Americans receiving a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, you would be hard pressed to find someone who has not been affected by it. Either they or a loved one have felt the fear and uncertainty that comes with the words “you have cancer”. The sheer amount of information thrown your way after a diagnosis can be overwhelming. 

Your primary care doctor or oncologist may have gone into detail explaining everything from abnormal white blood cells to treatment options. But when a cloud fogs your concentration in times like these, many facts get lost because our brains don’t know which information to keep and which to toss. 

If you or a loved one are in the midst of navigating a new cancer diagnosis, I hope to bring to light a better understanding of what exactly cancer is and the evidence- based facts that all cancers have in common. 

Abnormal cell growth

You may or may not have heard this term. “Cancer is abnormal cell growth.” Cells are part of the microscopic world that make up every structure in the human body. They are “born” through a process called mitosis, perform their specialized function in the body, and die to then make way for other cells to take their place. This is a normal life cycle of a cell. The vast majority of abnormal cells die prematurely without ever replicating. When there is an abnormal genetic code present in a cell that replicates uncontrollably, cancer occurs. 

So what does abnormal cell growth practically look like in the body? The short answer- it depends what kind of cancer it is. 

There are two main categories of abnormal cells growth. Solid tumor cancers and blood cancers. 

1. Solid tumor cancer 

Examples of solid tumor cancers include brain tumors, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, etc… These are the cancers where you might hear the terms “benign” or “malignant”. Benign means abnormal cells are present, but not growing outside the confines of the tumor or growth. They are easily contained, not invading other organs or structures, and generally easy to treat. Malignant tumors are cancerous growths that multiply abnormally and are invasive in nature to the structures around them. 

2. Blood cancer

Examples of blood cancer include leukemia and lymphoma. The cancer affects either the blood cells directly or the bone marrow that produces them. It is more likely to wreak havoc on the immune system because of the role blood and lymph play in keeping us healthy and infection- free.

Conclusion

A general description of cancer can help us to form a foundation of understanding. There are many different types, stages, and other aspects of cancer that can be explored in my other posts, so please check those out!

Sources

What is cancer?: Cancer basics. Cancer Basics | American Cancer Society. (n.d.). https://www.cancer.org/cancer/understanding-cancer/what-is-cancer.html 

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2024, November 19). Cancer. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20370588