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Information Presented by the Cancer Council of NSW
CANCER INFORMATION
WHAT ARE CELLS?
- Cells are the building blocks of all living things.
- Plants, animals and human beings all start life as single
cells.
- The human body is made up of billions of cells.
- Cells are so small that they can only be seen under a microscope.
- Single cells must divide many millions of times to become
mature living things. In the process, many different types of
cells are developed to form the special parts which make up the
whole working body. Some of the different types of cells are:
nerve cells, skin cells, muscle cells, blood cells and bone-building
cells.
- All through life, many cells are constantly wearing out, dying
off and being replaced by new ones.
WHAT IS CANCER?
- Cancer is the name given to a group of diseases which start
in the cells of the body. It may start in one cell which divides
in an uncontrolled way, affecting the normal functioning of the
body.
- Each type of cancer is different:
some develop slowly
some develop quickly
some have known causes
some have unknown causes
- The biggest danger of cancer is that it can spread (matastasise)
from one part of the body to another.
HOW DOES CANCER GROW AND SPREAD?
- Sometimes a group of cells change, grow differently and more
quickly than the cells around them. These may become cancer cells.
- These cells grow into groups where other normal cells should
be growing.
- As the group of cells (called a tumour) grows, it can spread
between the surrounding normal cells and affect their function.
- Cancer cells may, after a time, break off and travel through
the bloodstream and lymphatic system (the system which helps fight
infection) into other body parts where they can cause new cancers
to grow. This is called metastasis, and can start a secondary
cancer.
Diagrams
WHO CAN GET CANCER?
- Animals get cancer, so do plants.
- Cancer is rare in children, more common in middle-aged people
and most common in old people.
- The chance of getting certain cancers may increase as a person
gets older and because of factors such as a person's sex, occupation,
health habits, lifestyle and family history.
WHAT CAUSES CANCER?
- The causes of many cancers are not yet known.
- Cancer cannot be caught. It is not infectious like a cold
or the flu.
- Most cancers seem to be caused by our lifestyle habits and
recreation or by substances in our environment that affect our
bodies.
- Major causes of cancer are thought to include smoking, sun
exposure, poor diet, chemicals and asbestos. Cancer-causing substances
are called carcinogens.
WHAT BODY PARTS DOES CANCER AFFECT?
- Cancer can affect all body parts except the hair, nails and
teeth.
- Cancer is more common in some parts of the body than others
e.g. skin, lung, bowel and breast.
- The blood can also be affected by cancer. Cancer of the blood
is called leukaemia.
ESTIMATED CANCER RATES
Diagram
HOW CAN I REDUCE MY CHANCES OF GETTING CANCER?
- By avoiding unnecessary exposure to the sun.
- By being a non-smoker and avoiding breathing the smoke from
another's cigarette (passive smoking).
- By eating plenty of fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables.
- By cutting down on fatty, greasy foods.
- By avoiding exposure to chemicals, pollution and radiation.
HOW IS CANCER TREATED?
- Surgery - the cancerous tissue may be cut out by a surgeon.
- Radiotherapy - a beam of high-energy radiation destroys the
cancer cells and can affect some normal cells as well, producing
some side effects.
- Chemotherapy - chemicals are used to destroy cancer cells.
This treatment may also have side effects and affect other parts
of the body.
- Combination therapy - this may involve all, some or a combination
of some of the above processes.
- If cancer is detected and treated at an early stage there
is a greater chance of a cure and possibly less extensive treatment.
- Doctors who specialise in the area of cancer are called oncologists.
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