What is cancer?
Cancer is a condition caused by the abnormal growth of cells, and is a leading cause of death.
- Cancerous cells contain mutations which allow them to escape the body’s normal checks and grow prolifically.
- Cancer biomarkers are features of the abnormalities in cancer cells. They provide evidence leading to diagnosis, treatment options and prognosis.
See What is cancer?
The cell cycle
Cells divide and replicate themselves in a cycle that involves four phases: mitosis, gap 1, synthesis and gap 2.
- Checkpoints throughout the cell cycle monitor for abnormal cells and signal them to repair or destroy themselves.
- Apoptosis or programmed cell death is an important process related to the cell cycle which removes unneeded cells from the body.
See The cell cycle: How the body produces cells.
How do we test for cancer?
Tests may be performed to diagnose cancer in a patient with symptoms, or to inform treatment in a person diagnosed with cancer.
- Tests may include medical imaging, biopsies, and laboratory tests of blood and urine.
- Test results can be used to stage cancer, that is, classify its severity according to a recognised system.
See How do we test for cancer?
Cancer stages
Cancer staging provides information about the extent of growth and spread of cancer tumours.
- The stages of cancer can be split into five stages (numeric or descriptive) or in terms of tumour, lymph nodes and metastasis (TNM staging).
- Tests used to diagnose and stage cancer may also identify biomarkers which can be used to inform treatment methods.
See Identifying the stage of cancer growth.
How is cancer treated?
Cancer treatments can be classified as standard or non-standard depending on whether they are recommended to treat a particular type of cancer.
- Standard of care, also known as best practice, is the treatment that experts believe will be most effective against a particular type of cancer.
- Types of anticancer treatments include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, surgery and biological therapy.
Created: May 26, 2017 - Modified: June 28, 2019