Causes of cancer

Causes of Cancer

Cancer (pronounced /ˈkænsər/) is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. The term "cancer" is derived from the Latin word "cancer" meaning "crab", due to the crab-like spread of the disease in the body.

Causes

There are several causes of cancer, including:

• Genetic Factors: Some types of cancer run in certain families, but most cancers are not clearly linked to the genes we inherit from our parents.

• Environmental Factors: Environmental factors such as exposure to certain chemicals and substances can increase the risk of developing cancer. This includes tobacco, alcohol, certain foods, and radiation.

• Lifestyle Factors: Certain lifestyle choices are known to increase the risk of cancer. These include smoking, certain types of diet and physical activity levels, and certain sexually transmitted infections.

• Age: The risk of developing most types of cancer increases with age.

Related Terms

• Oncology: The study of cancer.

• Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue that results when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should.

• Metastasis: The spread of cancer cells from the place where they first formed to another part of the body.

• Carcinogen: Any substance that promotes the formation of cancer.

• Malignant: Cancerous. Malignant cells can invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body.

• Benign: Not cancerous. Benign tumors may grow larger but do not spread to other parts of the body.

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Causes of cancer
• Wikipedia's article - Causes of cancer

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