Types of Cancer |
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There are two main types of cancer. That which arises in muscles, bones, tendons, cartilage, fat, blood vessels, or lymphoid and connective tissue is called sarcoma. A cancer originating from surface cells of the skin or cells which line the internal organs is called carcinoma. Cancers cause death by spreading. First they invade surrounding tissue; then, in the process called metastasis, they travel through the lymphatic (tissue-fluid circulation) or blood-vessel systems to other parts of the body where they take root and destroy normal tissue. There is no race of man or any species of life that is free of cancer; nor is any part of man's body immune to the disease. However, more American men than women die of cancer; the ratio is 56:44. Some cancers are extremely fast growing, doubling in size in as few as 30 days, while others grow slowly, taking many months or years to begin to travel beyond their starting point. Cancers are most readily curable when they are treated while still confined to their original sites. They are less easily curable when they have invaded nearby tissue and least curable when they have traveled farther, or metastasized. Thus, the key to cancer cure is early detection and treatment. As might be expected, this is the easiest with the most visible cancer. Skin cancer, except for melanoma, is the most curable form of cancer because it is so readily detected and accessible to treatment. The cure rate of skin cancer in the U.S. is quite high. |
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