CanCer

Cancer is the first leading cause of death in Singapore. Nearly everyone will develop cancer during our lifetimes.

Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had a cancer. What can we do to prevent it? We can reduce the number of cancer by changing a person's lifestyle, for example quit smoking, have a balance nutrition diet, annual health screening. The sooner you know a cancer is found and treatment begins early, the better are the chances for living for many years.

First, let's understand our body cells. Our body contents good cells and bad cells. Good cells are normal cells that are divided with control and help to transport nurtient and oxygen to all parts of our body. Bad cells are abnormal cells that are divided without control and are able to invade other tissues. We call this cancer. Once cancer cells start to multiply, they can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and our lymphatic systems. There are many kinds of cancer. Normally, we name after the organ or type of cell in which they start - for example, cancer that begins in the liver is called liver cancer.  

How a normal cell becomes abnormal, grows and spread? 

Cells are basic units of life. Normally, cells divide through the following process:

1) They grow and divide to form other cells the body needs as a person grows from a baby to an adult.

2) They get old and die. The dead cells get replaced by the new cells.

However, sometimes this orderly process of cell growth, division and death goes wrong. In the case of cancer, the genetic (DNA) of a cell become damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. In another words, old cells do not die, and new cells develop, even the body does not need them. This abnormal cell division causes the extra cells to form a mass of tissue called a tumor. That is where cancer occurs. Another difference between normal cells and cancer cells is that cancer cells can invade other tissues. A cell being able to grow out of control and to invade other tissues makes it a cancer cell.  

Cancer cells have damaged DNA. Normally, DNA can fix the damage cell. If the cell cannot repair the damage, the cell dies. But in cancer cells the damaged DNA is not repaired and the cell does not die like it should be. Instead, this cell goes on making new cells even though the body does not need them. These new cells will all have the same damaged DNA as the first cell does.

Tumors are found in all types of tissue. Not all tumors are cancerours, they can be benign or malignant.

* Benign Tumors are not cancerous. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. Often they are being removed, and in most cases, they do not come back.

* Malignant tumors are cancerous. Cells in malignant tumors do invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. This process is also called metastasis.

Some cancers, like leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood, do not form tumors.

Types of Cancer