today cancer causes one in every seven
deaths worldwide but how does cancer
start and what is being done to combat
it our bodies contain trillions of
highly specialized cells and each
carries genes responsible for regulating
cell growth and division but when a
genetic change disrupts this process
cells begin to grow and divide
uncontrollably thereby becoming cancer
the genetic changes that cause cancer
usually happen in three types of genes
proto-oncogenes which signal a cell to
grow and divide tumor suppressor genes
which signal a cell to stop dividing and
DNA repair genes which preserve and
maintain genetic codes changes in these
genes lead to abnormal cell growth
resulting in masses of tissues called
tumors tumors may be benign meaning that
they remain in one area or malignant
which means that they are capable of
spreading through a process called
metastasis a malignant tumor cells will
eventually break off travel throughout
the body and begin forming tumors in
other regions when this happens the
cancer has become metastatic and is most
dangerous the cause of cancer is still a
mystery inherited traits may be behind
some of the genetic changes that lead to
the formation of cancerous cells and so
might environmental exposures such as
excessive radiation from the Sun or
chemicals and cigarette smoke in the
United States today roughly 1/3 of all
people will eventually develop cancer
of the over 100 different types of
cancer breast cancer is currently the
most prevalent type and lung cancer
causes the most deaths but our ability
to fight cancer is improving since just
the 1990s cancer mortality rates have
dropped more than 26 percent in the US
and more than 2 million lives have been
saved as treatments and methods of early
detection improve and doctors scientists
and the public better understand cancer
hope remains in the fight against the disease
deaths worldwide but how does cancer
start and what is being done to combat
it our bodies contain trillions of
highly specialized cells and each
carries genes responsible for regulating
cell growth and division but when a
genetic change disrupts this process
cells begin to grow and divide
uncontrollably thereby becoming cancer
the genetic changes that cause cancer
usually happen in three types of genes
proto-oncogenes which signal a cell to
grow and divide tumor suppressor genes
which signal a cell to stop dividing and
DNA repair genes which preserve and
maintain genetic codes changes in these
genes lead to abnormal cell growth
resulting in masses of tissues called
tumors tumors may be benign meaning that
they remain in one area or malignant
which means that they are capable of
spreading through a process called
metastasis a malignant tumor cells will
eventually break off travel throughout
the body and begin forming tumors in
other regions when this happens the
cancer has become metastatic and is most
dangerous the cause of cancer is still a
mystery inherited traits may be behind
some of the genetic changes that lead to
the formation of cancerous cells and so
might environmental exposures such as
excessive radiation from the Sun or
chemicals and cigarette smoke in the
United States today roughly 1/3 of all
people will eventually develop cancer
of the over 100 different types of
cancer breast cancer is currently the
most prevalent type and lung cancer
causes the most deaths but our ability
to fight cancer is improving since just
the 1990s cancer mortality rates have
dropped more than 26 percent in the US
and more than 2 million lives have been
saved as treatments and methods of early
detection improve and doctors scientists
and the public better understand cancer
hope remains in the fight against the disease
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