Cells are dividing all the time. Normally the system works well. But at any time this system can be destroyed or broken down, causing the division system to receive or give the wrong instruction. The cells start dividing in an uncontrolled way. As they multiply, abnormal cells take up more and more room. It may invade nearby parts of the body and prevent them from working properly. These cells can even break off and flow through the blood to other parts of the body. There they can start a new colony of abnormal cells. These new colonies are called secondary growths or metastases. This secondary growth can again prevent organs to work properly.
Tumours
There are also differences in these uncontrolled divided cells. You can either have a benign or a malicious tumour. We only talk about cancer when we have a malicious tumour. When you have a benign tumour, the body will after a while again control the cell division and than the cells will not spread through the body. A wart is an example of a benign tumour. But a benign tumour can also be irritating, because it can push against a muscle or bone. Than it needs to be taken away. But more often people remove warts because they look ugly. A malicious tumour can even grown in an organ and can move around the body into other organs. Cancer can also take place in bloodcells, for example leukaemia.
When you have a malicious tumour, cells can break off and move through the body. These cells are called metastases. So cancer in the lungs for example, is not always called lung cancer, it can also be called ‘metastases of bone cancer in the lungs’.
Cancer can be hereditary. If more people in one family get the same cancer, this can be because it’s hereditary, but it can also be by chance. Some kinds of cancer are linked, like bowel cancer and uterus cancer, udders cancer and ovary cancer. All other kinds of cancer which take place in more family members, just take place because of chance. By checking the DNA, you can investigate if there is a chance that you inherit cancer.
Fight/Prevent cancer
You can fight cancer in three ways: operating, irradiating, administering medicines, or these 3 ways together. Operating is the best way to fight cancer, because than you can take the complete tumour away. But sometimes this is not possible, for example when an organ is lying in front of the tumour. Then they use irradiating. When the cells have spread through the body, operating is not useful. One other way to fight cancer, is by following the ‘Moerman’ diet. This includes all kinds of food, which should be able to fight cancer, like red beets. You can prevent occurring cancer, by not using several kinds of thing, like cigarettes. By taking an aspirin several times a day, you can prevent getting cancer. A special ingredient in the aspirine, will prevent the bowel to produce polyps. Eventually polyps can cause cancer. But the best way to prevent cancer is having a good diet and having enough body movement. Nowadays, we can do a lot against cancer, but we still have to find the real cause of cancer and a way to fight this. So in the future we’ll do a lot of investigation to find the best way to fight it.