Cancer Health Article

Definition

Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in the body and the ability of these malignant cells to spread (metastasize) to distant sites within the body. If the spread is not controlled, cancer can result in death. Cancer is not just one disease but a group of almost one hundred different types of malignant diseases.

Description

Cancer, by definition, is a disease of the genes. A gene is a small part of DNA, which is the instruction manual of the cell. Genes hold the instructions to make proteins, which carry out many of the body's functions. It is these proteins that allow the human body to carry out all the processes that permit people to breathe, think, move, etc.

Throughout people's lives the cells in their bodies grow, divide, and replace themselves. Many genes produce proteins that are involved in controlling the processes of cell growth and division. An alteration (mutation) to the DNA molecule can disrupt some of the genes on the DNA molecule and produce faulty proteins. This causes a cell to loose restraint on growth. The abnormal cell begins to divide uncontrollably and eventually forms a new growth known as a tumor or neoplasm (medical terms for cancer meaning new growth). In a healthy body the immune system can recognize neoplastic (abnormal) cells and destroy them before they get a chance to divide. Even so, some mutant cells may escape immune detection and survive to develop into cancerous growths.

Tumors are divided into two general categories: benign or malignant. A benign tumor is slow growing and does not spread or invade surrounding tissue. Once it is removed it doesn't usually recur. A malignant tumor, on the other hand, invades surrounding tissue and can spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors can be removed; however, if the cancer cells have spread to the surrounding tissues, the tumor is likely to recur.

A majority of cancers are caused by changes in the cell's DNA that are due to the environment. Environ- mental factors that are responsible for causing the initial mutation in the DNA are called carcinogens. Internal factors can cause cancer as well. Certain hormones have been shown to have an effect the growth or control of a particular cell line. Hormones are substances made by one organ and passed through the bloodstream to perform a function in another organ.

While there is scientific evidence that both environ- mental and genetic factors play a role in most cancers, approximately 5–10% of all cancers are classified as hereditary (genetic). This means a faulty gene that leads to a cancer is passed from parent to child. This poses a greater risk for that particular type of cancer in certain descendants of the family. However, having a cancer- causing gene does not necessarily mean that person will automatically get cancer. Rather, it means that person is predisposed to a type of cancer, or more likely to get this cancer when compared to the general population. Cancers known to have a hereditary tendency in some cases include breast cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, skin cancer, and prostate cancer.

Aside from genes, certain inherited physiological traits can contribute to cancers. For example, inheriting fair skin makes a person more likely to develop skin cancer, but only if they also have prolonged exposure to intensive sunlight.

There are many different types of cancers. Some of the most common types include:

• Carcinomas. These cancers arise in the epithelium (layers of cells in the skin covering the body's surface and lining the internal organs and various glands). About 80% of human cancers fall into this category. Carcinomas can be subdivided into two subtypes: adenocarcinomas, which are cancers that develop in an organ or a gland; and squamous cell carcinomas, cancers that originate in the skin.
• Melanomas. This form also originates in the skin, usually in the pigment cells (melanocytes), and can quick- ly metastasize to internal organs.
• Sarcomas. Cancers of the supporting tissues of the body, such as bone, muscle, cartilage, and fat.
• Leukemias. Cancers of the blood or blood-forming organs.
• Lymphomas. Cancer of the lymphatic system, the network of vessels and nodes that acts as a filtration system, distributing nutrients to blood and tissue and preventing bacteria and other foreign substances from entering the bloodstream.
• Gliomas. Cancers of nerve tissue.

The most common cancers are skin cancer, lung cancer, colon and rectal (colorectal) cancer, breast cancer (in women), and prostate cancer (in men). In addition, cancer of the kidneys, ovaries, uterus, pancreas, bladder, and blood and lymph-node cancer (leukemias and lymphomas) are also included among the 12 major cancers that affect most Americans.

Almost every tissue can give rise to cells that cause cancer and each of these cancers is very different in its symptoms and prognosis. However, there are basic and similar genetic processes that lead to tumor growth in the human body. Genes are responsible for producing proteins that regulate cell growth and division. When these genes do not function properly, the proteins are abnormal and cells can grow uncontrollably. This results in the formation of a tumor. As more genetic mutations (changes) occur in this tumor, it becomes more life-threatening and has a greater chance of spreading to other parts of the body.

Three classes of genes appear to play a role in the development of cancer:

• Proto-oncogenes encourage and promote the normal growth and division of cells. When they are defective, they become oncogenes. Oncogenes are overactive proto-oncogenes that cause excessive cell multiplication that can lead to tumors.
• Tumor suppressor genes act as brakes on cell growth. They prevent cells from multiplying uncontrollably. If these genes are defective there is no control over cell growth and tumors can result.
• DNA repair genes ensure that each strand of DNA is correctly copied during cell division. When these genes do not function properly, the replicated DNA is likely to have errors. This causes defects in other genes and can lead to tumor formation in some cases.

Approximately 5–10% of cancers have a hereditary component. In these cancers a child does not inherit caner

from the parents. Rather, a predisposition to cancer is inherited. For example, a faulty tumor suppressor gene may be inherited. This gene is not able to control cell growth but the corresponding gene inherited from the other parent is still functional. Cell growth is under control. However, as a child grows up, radiation, pollution, or any other environmental factor could change the functional gene, making it defective as well. Now, neither of these tumor suppressor genes are functioning, and it is likely that a tumor will develop. Defects in proto-oncogenes and DNA repair genes can be inherited, as well, leaving a person more vulnerable to cancer than the general population.

Some cancers seem to run in families. In these cancers there is no specific gene responsible for the clustering of cancer in a family. However, a particular type of cancer may be seen more often than in the general population. It is suggested that this is due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Cancer kills one out of every four Americans. As of 2001 it was the second leading cause of death in the United States, surpassed only by heart disease. More than 1.2 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed every year in the United States. The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 8.4 million Americans alive in 2001 had a history of cancer. Some of these people were cured while others were still affected with the dis- ease and possibly undergoing treatment.

Anyone is at risk for developing cancer. Since the occurrence of cancer increases as a person ages, most cases are seen in adults middle-aged or older. Nearly 80% of cancers are diagnosed in people 55 years of age and older.

Lifetime risk is the term used to refer to the probability that an individual will develop cancer over the course of his or her lifetime. In the United States men have a one-in-two lifetime risk of developing cancer. For women, the risk is one in three. Overall, African Americans are more likely to develop cancer than Caucasians and are 33% more likely to die of cancer than Caucasians.

The major risk factors for cancer are tobacco, alcohol, diet, sexual and reproductive behavior, infectious agents, family history, occupation, environment, and pollution.