Cancer Health Center

At its simplest, cancer is what happens when a small number of cells in the body start growing out of control. Cancer cells develop when a person's DNA is damaged, either through inheriting damaged cells or being exposed to a harmful substance (carcinogen). Many cancers form in a big clump (tumor), while others attack in the bloodstream.

If not stopped, cancers will travel in the body to a place where they can grow most freely, and will replace normal tissue (metastasize) in that area. Cancers are named after the area where they originate (breast cancer, liver cancer, etc.).