- Published: January 19, 2022
- Updated: January 19, 2022
- University / College: University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
- Language: English
- Downloads: 12
Thisis a type of disease where cells grow uncontrollably, multiply and spread toother body tissues. Cancer, which can affect any body part, is a group ofnumerous different diseases and each is classified by the type of body cellthat is initially affected. The mostcommon cancers include lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostatecancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, braincancer, leukemia among others. Majority of the new cancer cases reported arebreast, prostate, lung or bowel cancer. Breast cancer is common in femaleswhile a high number of prostate cancer cases reported relate to males.
Some of the common symptoms of cancer includechange in bladder habits, unexplained weight loss, fevers, fatigue, persistentcoughs, hoarseness, and explained bleeding. However these signs may bedifferent depending on the body part affected. GoodintroductionChangesor mutations to the DNA within the body cells results to cancer. The DNA in ahuman cell has a large number of genes each with its unique function within thebody and any deviation in these functions may make a cell to be cancerous. Agene mutation may make a healthy cell to grow quickly which creates many cellswith identical mutations. It can also make a cell fail to control abnormal growthas it is in normal circumstances where a normal cell ensures growth of just thenumber of cells needed, cancer cells lose the control that make them stopgrowing and a mutation allows them to uncontrollably accumulate within thebody.
Repair genes make right any errors in a cell’s DNA and a mutation in thisgene means it doesn’t function normally leading to cells becoming cancerous. Genemutations resulting to cancer occur due to various reasons. Some people areborn with genetic mutations inherited from parents although these only accountsfor a little number of cancer cases reported. Other mutations though occurafter birth are caused by various factors such as use of tobacco which leads tomany cases of lung cancer, obesity, cancer causing chemicals known ascarcinogens, poor diet and lack of physical activity, infectious diseasesespecially viral, radiation exposure, hormones, and chronic inflammation among others. Some factors are known to increase a risk of cancer and these may include ageas majority of the people diagnosed tend to be elderly, family history where insome cases mutations are passed from a generation to another, one’s environmentas in some places people may be exposed to harmful smokes, lifestyles too likesmoking, excessive alcohol among others.