Cancer tumours are usually named after the part of the body where the cancer first began. Its name does not change even if the cancer spreads to another part of the body. For example, if breast cancer spreads (metastasizes) to the lung, it is still classified as a breast cancer, and is treated as a breast cancer.

Different types of cancer vary in their signs and symptoms, how fast they grow, how they spread, and how they react to different treatments. This is why it is so important to quickly and accurately diagnose a cancer, so that specialized treatment begins immediately.

For most cancers listed, you will find general information on the cancer as well as:

* Signs and Symptoms
* Cause (Etiology)
* Prevention
* Diagnosis/Screening/Staging/Grading/Types
* Treatment

Cancer is a collection of more than 200 diseases, all of which share one common trait: the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells.

Every day your genes direct your body’s cells to grow, divide and die in an organized fashion. As long as this process continues in the normal way, cancer will not occur.

But sometimes genes get damaged. When that happens, the genes’ instructions to cells become scrambled and cells don’t die. The cells just continue to grow without control and form a mass (tumour).

In some cases our genes suffer damage through things we have no control over such as aging. In other cases, genes are damaged by things we can control such as smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, or unprotected exposure to the sun.

Tumour cells that grow only at the site where they began and do not spread to other parts of the body are non-cancerous. We call these tumours benign. Benign tumours are not usually life threatening.

Cancer tumours, on the other hand, don’t just grow and destroy healthy cells at the site where they first began.

Cancer cells are capable of breaking away from the main (primary) tumour and invading and destroying the healthy tissue surrounding the tumour. Cancer cells can also travel to other parts of the body and do the same thing. These tumours are called malignant.

Cancer cells that break off from the main tumour will travel through the blood vessels or lymphatic system until they find a suitable place to start forming a second tumour.

This process is called metastasis. When cancer cells spread from their original location, the tumour is said to have “metastasized.”

Each kind of cancer has its own pattern for metastasis. See cancer types for more information.

There are several kinds of cancer, including:

* Carcinomas form in cells that cover the skin or line the mouth, throat, lungs and organs)
* Sarcomas are found in the bones, muscles, fibrous tissues and some organs)
* Leukemias arise from white blood cells in the blood or bone marrow)
* Lymphomas originate in the lymphocyte cells (white blood cells that help fight infection)found in the blood, spleen and lymph nodes)