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Organ CancerCancer has potential to affect every organ in the body. Within malignant tumors, cells have the ability to spread disease by invading into surrounding tissues and organs. Through a process called metastasis, cancerous cells can break out of the tumor and enter the blood stream, reaching more places with disease. Below is a very general list of cancers that affect the human body's organs:
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Skin CancerSkin cancer is the most common type of cancer and it is divided into the non-melanoma and melanoma categories.
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Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common type of cancer among men and women. Non-melanoma (basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer) has over 2,000,000 cases expected to be diagnosed in the country in 2012. Most of these forms of cancer are curable.
Causes and Symptoms: Excessive exposure to sunlight is the main cause of skin cancer. Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) rays that can alter the genetic material in skin cells, causing mutations. Sunlamps, tanning booths, and X-rays also generate UV rays that can damage skin and cause malignant cell mutations. Exposure to the UV rays of the sun is the primary cause for non-melanoma skin cancer and also melanoma. Diagnosis and Treatment: To check for non-melanoma skin cancer, doctors may take a medical history and do a physical exam and biopsy. Treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer depends on the size and location of the cancer, what type it is, and the patient's health. But surgery is the most common treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer, and the most effective. |
Melanoma Skin Cancer is a potentially life-threatening cancer and is very aggressive. It affects approximately five percent of people diagnosed with skin cancer, but is attributed to over 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths. In 2012, 76,250 new cases of melanoma were expected to be diagnosed.
Causes and Symptoms: Exposure to the UV rays of the sun is the primary cause for non-melanoma skin cancer and also melanoma. It usually starts as a mole or a birthmark and commonly appears first on extremities. Diagnosis and Treatment: Melanoma Skin Cancer is readily detectable and usually curable if treated early. But it progresses faster than other types of skin cancer and can spread beyond the skin to affect numerous parts of the body, including the bones or brain. Once this occurs, melanoma becomes incurable. http://www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/melanoma-guide/understanding-skin-cancer-basics http://cancer.about.com/od/cancerlistaz/a/typesofcancers.htm |
Lung Cancer
During 2012, 226,160 new cases of lung cancer were expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. Lung cancer accounts for about 28 percent of all cancer deaths. An estimated 160,340 deaths were expected to occur from lung cancer in 2012. The 5-year survival rate for all stages of lung cancer combined is just 16 percent.
Causes and Symptoms:
Lung cancer and cigarette smoking have a strong correlation with 90% of lung cancers resulting with the patient using tobacco. Over time the risk of lung cancer rises along with the amount of cigarettes smoked. Here are some statistics:
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Source: http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/ss/slideshow-lung-cancer-overview
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Non-small-cellNon-small- cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer. There are three common types of NSCLC:
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Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Small-cell lung cancer differs from non–small-cell lung cancer in the following ways:
http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/small-cell-lung-cancer |
Kidney Cancer
The American Cancer Society estimated 64,770 new cases of kidney (renal) cancer in 2012 with 13,570 deaths from this disease.
Risk Factors: Tobacco is a strong risk factor for kidney cancer, as well as obesity and hypertension Causes and Symptoms: Like almost all cancers, Kidney Cancer doesn't show many symptoms in its early stage. But in later stages, symptoms include:
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It's not clear what causes kidney cancer, Doctors know that it begins when some kidney cells acquire mutations in their DNA. The accumulating abnormal cells form a tumor that can extend beyond the kidney. Some cells can break off and spread (metastasize) to distant parts of the body.
Resources UsedIf you want to find further information about the cancers I listed here, or to explore other organ cancers, please visit our resources page!
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