by Fariya Farah, a college senior and NewsHour Classroom summer intern
You've probably heard of cancer.
Perhaps you have a friend whose parents or grandparents have cancer. Or maybe a loved one in your own life has the disease.
According to the National Cancer Institute , an estimated 1,806,590 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2020. According to the American Cancer Society , cancer affects 1 in 3 people in the United States at some point in their lives. But you still may not know much about the disease — like how it works, how it's treated and what those with the diagnosis and their loved ones can do.
And so, what exactly is cancer?
1. Cancer refers to a collection of diseases where there is uncontrolled cell growth
Cancer isn't just one disease; it is a collection of related diseases that can happen almost anywhere in the body. Cancer is typically named based on the part of the body it starts in. For example, cancer that starts in the breasts is called breast cancer.
A healthy cell undergoes a cell cycle in which it grows and develops. A healthy cell must go through several checkpoints throughout its life cycle to make sure that it's healthy. A cell can eventually die for a couple different reasons: it is no longer necessary (so death is to avoid wasting resources on something that is no longer needed), it grows old and damaged or its genes have become mutated and it is no longer a healthy cell (so death avoids the reproduction or continued existence of potentially harmful cells).
And this death is a normal part of the cell cycle; new cells replace cells that have died and the body continues functioning normally.
But cancerous cells don't die .
Instead, they are mutated such that they are not regulated by the cell cycle and they continue to multiply. These cells may then form tumors , which are lumps of tissue that may be harmful (malignant) or not (benign).
2.Cancer has different stages used to identify its progression
A cancer stage refers to the extent of cancer, like how big the tumor is and whether it has spread to other parts of the body. Knowing the stage of cancer helps doctors identify how severe the cancer is, what the likelihood of survival is and what the best treatment options are.
For example, Stage 0 is when abnormal cells are present but have not spread to other tissues. This is not considered cancer, but may develop into cancer.
A higher number of stages indicates that the cancer is more severe. For example, Stage IV (Stage 4) cancer is more severe than Stage I (Stage 1) cancer.
The stage is determined through different x-rays or lab tests.
3. Cancer may be caused by a bunch of different factors
It usually isn't possible to know exactly why one person develops cancer and another doesn’t.
But there are risk factors , or things that increase a person's likelihood of getting cancer. For example, exposure to chemicals and sunlight increase the risk of cancer. Alcohol use, tobacco use and poor diet also increase the risk of cancer. Some risk factors may also be passed down from parents to their children or may be a result of aging .
4. There are different ways to treat cancer
There are many different types of cancer treatment . The types of treatment a person is given depends on the type of cancer they have and how advanced it is. For example, some people receive just one type of treatment (like radiation therapy ) while others receive multiple forms of treatment.
When cancer is detected, doctors typically run a series of tests to see how big the cancer is and whether it has spread ( metastasis ). Metastatic tumors can cause a lot of damage to how the body functions, and most people who die of cancer die of metastatic disease.
Sometimes, treatment may help prolong the lives of people with cancer. In other cases, treatment is intended to control the growth of the cancer or to relieve the symptoms it is causing.
5. You can help someone living with cancer, as well as their loved ones
Whether you are caring for someone with cancer or helping someone who cares for a person with the disease, there are ways that you can help .
For example, you can help out with chores and errands and engage them in activities, like walks or sharing meals. You can also chat with them and check up on their emotional well-being and mental health. And finally, make sure to be flexible — a person with cancer as well as their loved ones can need extra time to carry out plans and activities, so make sure to be kind and patient.
Additional resources
- View NewsHour's coverage of cancer here.
- Chris Evert dominated women's tennis in the 1970s and 80s. Learn how her sister’s death from ovarian cancer led to Evert's early cancer detection, and hear about her journey and what's ahead.
- Learn whether cancer blood tests live up to their promise of saving lives.
Discussion questions
- What is cancer?
- How can you help someone with cancer?
- What is a problem that people with cancer may face? And what solution can you come up with to help address that problem? For inspiration on inventing solutions, explore our invention education lessons here .
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