Cancer Also called: Carcinoma, Malignancy, Neoplasms, Tumor Summary Cancer begins in your cells, which are the building blocks of your body. Normally, your body forms new cells as you need them, replacing old cells that die. Sometimes this process goes wrong. New cells grow even when you don’t need them, and old cells don’t die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass called a tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors aren’t cancer while malignant ones are. Cells from malignant tumors can invade nearby tissues. They can also break away and spread to other parts of the body. Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for where they start. For example, lung cancer starts in the lung, and breast cancer starts in the breast. The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is called metastasis. Symptoms and treatment depend on the cancer type and how advanced it is. Most treatment plans may include surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy. Some may involve hormone therapy, biologic therapy, or stem cell transplantation. NIH: National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute Treatments and Therapies A to Z List of Cancer Drugs National Cancer Institute Adjuvant Therapy: Treatment to Keep Cancer from Returning Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Angiogenesis Inhibitors National Cancer Institute Biological Therapies for Cancer National Cancer Institute Cancer Surgery: Physically Removing Cancer Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Cancer Treatment Scams Federal Trade Commission Cancer: Treatment American Academy of Family Physicians How to Find a Doctor or Treatment Facility If You Have Cancer National Cancer Institute Hyperthermia in Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute Immunotherapy: Disrupting the Cancer Treatment World American Cancer Society Lasers in Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute MedlinePlus: Cancer Alternative Therapies National Library of Medicine Non-Specific Immunotherapies and Adjuvants American Cancer Society Pain Control National Cancer Institute Photodynamic Therapy for Cancer National Cancer Institute Targeted Cancer Therapies National Cancer Institute Treatment Option Overview (Carcinoma of Unknown Primary) National Cancer Institute Treatment Option Overview (Extragonadal Germ Cell Tumors) National Cancer Institute Find an Expert American Cancer Society American Cancer Society Cancer Genetics Services Directory National Cancer Institute Find a Cancer Doctor American Society of Clinical Oncology Finding Treatment Centers American Cancer Society National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute NCI Designated Cancer Centers National Cancer Institute Organizations That Offer Support Services National Cancer Institute Statistics and Research Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2010: Questions and Answers National Cancer Institute Cancer Data and Statistics Tools Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cancer Facts and Figures 2014 American Cancer Society Cancer Statistics National Cancer Institute Hair Dyes and Cancer Risk National Cancer Institute NIH Study Offers Insight into Why Cancer Incidence Increases with Age National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer National Cancer Institute State Cancer Profiles National Cancer Institute Tea and Cancer Prevention: Strengths and Limits of the Evidence National Cancer Institute Technologies Enhance Tumor Surgery: Helping Surgeons Spot and Remove Cancer National Institutes of Health Prevention and Risk Factors Antioxidants and Cancer Prevention National Cancer Institute Calcium and Cancer Prevention: Strengths and Limits of the Evidence National Cancer Institute Cancer Prevention Overview (PDQ) National Cancer Institute Cancer Vaccines National Cancer Institute Diet Choices to Prevent Cancer American Academy of Family Physicians How Is Cancer Risk Measured? National Cancer Institute Risk Factors National Cancer Institute Vitamin, Mineral, and Multivitamin Supplements for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Array Cancer Cancer and lymph nodes Cancer prevention: take charge of your lifestyle Cancer treatment — early menopause Cancer treatment: preventing infection Cancer treatments Hyperthermia for treating cancer Inside Cancer Dolan DNA Learning Center Laser therapy for cancer Photodynamic therapy for cancer Targeted therapies for cancer Start Here Cancer American Academy of Family Physicians Cancer Basics American Cancer Society What Is Cancer? National Cancer Institute Men Cancer and Men Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Women Cancer and Women Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Reducing Your Risk of Cancer American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Related Issues Cancer Causes: Popular Myths about the Causes of Cancer Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Cancer Clusters National Cancer Institute Cancer Fact or Fiction: Separating Myths from Good Information National Cancer Institute Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk National Cancer Institute Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer Prevention National Cancer Institute Family Caregivers in Cancer (PDQ) National Cancer Institute Fluoridated Water National Cancer Institute Known and Probable Human Carcinogens American Cancer Society Obesity and Cancer Risk National Cancer Institute Paraneoplastic Syndromes National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Physical Activity and Cancer National Cancer Institute Psychological Stress and Cancer National Cancer Institute Should I Get a Flu Shot? American Cancer Society Smoking in Cancer Care (PDQ) National Cancer Institute Vitamin D and Cancer Prevention National Cancer Institute What Causes Cancer? American Cancer Society When Cancer Returns National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Cancer Clinical Trials National Cancer Institute ClinicalTrials.gov: Carcinoma National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Neoplasms National Institutes of Health Seniors Cancer Facts for People over 50 National Institute on Aging Cancer: Unique to Older Adults AGS Foundation for Health in Aging Diagnosis and Tests Cancer Imaging National Cancer Institute Cancer Screening Overview (PDQ) National Cancer Institute Cancer Staging National Cancer Institute Computed Tomography (CT) Scans and Cancer National Cancer Institute Exams and Test Descriptions American Cancer Society Fine Needle Aspiration American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Nuclear Medicine Scans for Cancer American Cancer Society Pathology Reports National Cancer Institute Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy National Cancer Institute SPECT (Single-Photon Emission Computerized Tomography) Scan Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Tumor Grade National Cancer Institute Tumor Markers National Cancer Institute Understanding Laboratory Tests National Cancer Institute What Is Cancer Proteomics? National Cancer Institute Health Check Tools Cancer Risk Questionnaire Siteman Cancer Center Reference Desk Cancer Terms: After Treatment American Society of Clinical Oncology Dictionary of Cancer Terms National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute News National Cancer Institute NIH MedlinePlus Magazine Cancers: A “Constellation” of Diseases Transforming Discovery into Health (Cancer Therapy and Obesity) Understanding Cancer: Survivability and Hope Encyclopedia CEA blood test CSF analysis CSF cell count Diet and cancer Ectopic ADH secretion Genetic testing and your cancer risk Immunotherapy: questions to ask your doctor Lactate dehydrogenase test Lymphangiogram Malignant teratoma Peutz-Jeghers syndrome Pleural fluid analysis Protein electrophoresis – serum Talking with a child about a parent’s terminal illness Targeted therapy: questions to ask your doctor Tumor Understanding cancer staging Upper airway biopsy What if cancer comes back? When your cancer treatment stops working Specifics General Information about Extragonadal Germ Cell Tumors National Cancer Institute Metastatic Cancer National Cancer Institute Occupational Cancer National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Genetics Genetic Testing for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes National Cancer Institute Genetics Home Reference: Bloom syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Costello syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Cowden syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: DICER1 syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Li-Fraumeni syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Werner syndrome National Library of Medicine Latest News Increased Physical Activity Associated With Lower Risk of 13 Types of Cancer National Cancer Institute Global Recession May Have Contributed to Cancer Deaths HealthDay Smog May Boost Risk for Several Cancers HealthDay Liquid Biopsy May Help Doctors Track Changes in Tumors HealthDay Low-Dose Aspirin Tied to Better Cancer Survival in Study HealthDay Fertility Info Lacking for Young Women Who Beat Cancer HealthDay Common Abnormal Heart Rhythm Linked to Cancer Risk HealthDay HIV Patients Less Likely to Get Treatment for Cancer HealthDay Too Many Advanced Cancer Patients Lack Info about Their Disease HealthDay Cancer Patients Who Choose to Die At Home Live Longer HealthDay Exercise May Cut Risk of 13 Cancers, Study Suggests HealthDay Gene May Explain Higher Rates of Some Cancers in Black People HealthDay 15.5 Million Americans Now Surviving Cancer HealthDay Widely Used Type 2 Diabetes Drug May Reduce Cancer Death Risk HealthDay Cancer History May Affect Survival After Organ Transplant HealthDay ‘Precision’ Cancer Treatment May Extend Lives HealthDay Radon in The Home May Be Linked to Blood Cancers in Women HealthDay Children MedlinePlus: Cancer in Children National Library of Medicine Living With MedlinePlus: Cancer–Living with Cancer National Library of Medicine Journal Articles Cancer diagnosis Cancer prevention Cancer therapy Videos and Tutorials Understanding Cancer Prognosis National Cancer Institute
