Basic Concepts of Cancer

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Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, in cases, to metastasize(spread). It is caused by certain changes to genes, the basic physical unit of inheritance, that control the way cells function, especially how  they grow and divide.

 Normally, human cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place.
When cancer develops, however, this orderly process breaks down. As cells become more and more abnormal, old or damaged cells survive when they should die, and new cells form when they are not needed. These extra cells can divide without stopping and may form growths called tumors.
  Cancer   can involve any tissue of the body and have many different forms in each body area. Most cancers are named for the type of cell or organ in they start.


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