What is Cancer?
- In simple terms, cancer is an abnormal growth of body cells. Each one of us is born with a potential for cancer. One cannot "Catch" it as one would an infection or a cold. When the programming of a cell or a group of cells is affected, growth may become uncontrolled. Some of the factors that can alter the code are chronic irritation, tobacco, smoke and dust, radioactive substances, age, sex, race and heredity. While one cannot control many of these factors , we need to be aware of the ones we can control of. Prevention is definitely better than treatment of cancer. No one yet talks of cure, treatment.
- The body is made up of trillions of living cells. Normal cells grow, divide to make new cells, and die in an orderly way. Cancer starts when cells start to grow out of control and instead of dying, continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells.
- Cells become cancer cells because of changes to their DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). In a normal cell, when DNA is damaged the cell either repairs the damage or dies. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired and the cell goes on making new cells that the body does not need.