Saturday, February 20, 2010

Overview of What Cancer Is

To find out more about Colon Cancer first we need to know what Cancer is.

A collection of 100 or more different disease is Cancer. Cancer affects the cells which are a body’s necessary unit; Cancer usually occurs when the body cells starts behaving abnormally and split or divides without order or control. Like other organs, a human body’s rectum and colon also is made-up of several kind of cells. Generally, cells divide or split for producing more cells, this happens only when a body needs more cells. This orderly procedure helps in keeping us healthy.

If body cells keep splitting or dividing when the body does not need new cells, then a mass or collection of tissue starts forming. This mass or collection of additional tissue is called a tumor or growth, which can be malignant or benign.

Tumors which are called benign do not have Cancer. They are normally removable and in many cases they usually don’t come back. Most importantly, benign tumor cells don’t spread at all to other body parts. In extreme rare cases benign tumor can be a threat to any one’s life.

Tumors which are called malignant are the ones which have cancer. Cells which have cancer can damage and invade organs and tissues close to the tumor. Cancer cells are able to break or split away from malignant tumor, it can also enter the lymphatic or bloodstream system. Normally this is the way cancer spreads in a human body.