Cancer
Even though there are 100 different types of cancer, each one begins in your cells, your body's basic building blocks. When the cell creation process goes awry, abnormal cells are produced that can grow uncontrollably and cause cancer. When excessive cells form, benign or malignant tumors can develop throughout your body.
While benign tumors aren't cancerous, malignant ones can invade healthy tissue and spread to other parts of the body, a process called metastasis.
Early detection and treatment is key to fighting cancer.
Recently Answered
- Q What is the new type of treatment for adrenocortical carcinoma?
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Biologic therapy is a treatment that uses the patient's immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against cancer. This type of cancer treatment is... Full Answer
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- Q What is adrenocortical carcinoma?
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Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare cancer that forms in the outer layer of tissue of the adrenal gland (a small organ on top of each kidney that makes steroid hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline to control heart rate, blood pressure, and other body... Full Answer
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- Q How can radiation treat endocrine cancers?
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Radiation plays a major role in the treatment of some types of endocrine cancer. For example, people with thyroid cancer usually have surgery to remove the thyroid gland, which may be followed by weeks of radiation treatments to kill leftover cancer... Full Answer
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- Q What are benign and malignant tumors?
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A benign tumor is a collection of cells which demonstrate no transformation into a disease-causing structure. A malignant tumor is one that contains cells which are rapidly transforming and tends to affect its surrounding structures. Some malignant... Full Answer
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- Q What are primary and metastatic tumors?
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'Primary' tumors are tumors that originate from that organ, for instance a cancer in the breast is primary if it originated there. But 'metastatic' implies it came from another place, another organ. For instance, a cancer in the liver may be a... Full Answer
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- Q What is a benign tumor?
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By definition, a "tumor" is an abnormal collection or growth of cells. Tumors can be either benign or malignant. Malignant tumors (cancers) are able to invade into surrounding tissues and organs, and to spread, or metastasize, to other organs in... Full Answer
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- Q Are benign soft tissue tumors serious?
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By definition, most benign tumors are not serious health problems. However, some rare types of benign tumors, such as desmoid tumors, for example, can invade into surrounding normal tissues (although they do not spread to other areas of the body,... Full Answer
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- Q What are endocrine cancers?
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Endocrine cancers are malignancies that develop in the endocrine system. The endocrine system produces many hormones that control homeostasis (balance) in the functioning of daily life. Some endocrine glands include the thyroid, pituitary, ovaries,... Full Answer
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- Q When is cancer considered a chronic illness?
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Dr. Stewart Fleishman, Hospice & Palliative CareCancer is almost always considered a chronic illness. In this video, palliative medicine specialist Dr. Stewart Fleishman explains why. Full Answer
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- Q What are the symptoms of endocrine cancers?
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There are several kinds of endocrine cancer, each producing a wide range of symptoms depending on the particular endocrine gland affected. For example, the thyroid gland is located in the neck, so symptoms of thyroid cancer include neck pain, swelling,... Full Answer
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