Looking for CANCER? Yes, CANCER. It's all here!

Many Kind of Cancer that we have to know

What is cancer?

Cancer is a group of diseases. More than 100 different types of cancer are known, and several types of cancer can develop in the pancreas.

Benign tumors are not cancer. Cancer cells also can break away from the tumor and spread to other parts of the body. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.
Cancer that starts in the pancreas is called pancreatic cancer. Cancer cells are carried through these vessels by lymph, a colorless, watery fluid that carries cells that fight infection. Surgeons often remove lymph nodes near the pancreas to learn whether they contain cancer cells.

Pancreatic cancer that spreads to other organs is called metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Defining cancer

Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.

There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start -- for example, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.

Cancer types can be grouped into broader categories. The main categories of cancer include:

• Lymphoma and myeloma - cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system.

• Central nervous system cancers - cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.

Origins of cancer

All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. To understand cancer, it's helpful to know what happens when normal cells become cancer cells.

When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.

The extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumor.

• Benign tumors aren't cancerous. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body.

• Malignant tumors are cancerous. Cells in these tumors can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. Some cancers do not form tumors. For example, leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood.

Cancer statistics

Estimated new cases and deaths from cancer in the United States in 2008:

• New cases: 1,437,180 (does not include nonmelanoma skin cancers)

• Deaths: 565,650

What are the most common types of cancer?

The list of common cancer types includes cancers that are diagnosed with the greatest frequency in the United States.

Nonmelanoma skin cancers represent about half of all cancers diagnosed in this country.

The cancer on the list with the lowest incidence is thyroid cancer. The estimated number of new cases of thyroid cancer for 2008 is 37,340.

Because colon and rectal cancers are often referred to as "colorectal cancers," these two cancer types were combined for the list. For 2008, the estimated number of new cases of colon cancer is 108,070, and the estimated number of new cases of rectal cancer is 40,740.

Kidney cancers can be divided into two major groups, renal parenchyma cancers and renal pelvis cancers. Approximately 85 percent of kidney cancers develop in the renal parenchyma, and nearly all of these cancers are renal cell cancers. The estimated number of new cases of renal cell cancer for 2008 is 46,232.