16/09/2022, 14:31 Cancer - Wikipedia

Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to

other parts of the body.[2][7] These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread.[7] Possible signs
and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bleeding, prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss, and a
change in bowel movements.[1] While these symptoms may indicate cancer, they can also have other
causes.[1] Over 100 types of cancers affect humans.[7]

Tobacco use  is the cause of about 22% of cancer deaths.[2]  Another 10% are due to  obesity,
poor diet, lack of physical activity or excessive drinking of alcohol.[2][8][9] Other factors include certain
infections, exposure to ionizing radiation, and environmental pollutants.[3]  In the  developing world,
15% of cancers are due to infections such as  Helicobacter pylori,  hepatitis B,  hepatitis C,  human
papillomavirus infection,  Epstein–Barr virus  and  human immunodeficiency virus  (HIV).[2]  These
factors act, at least partly, by changing the  genes  of a cell.[10]  Typically, many genetic changes are
required before cancer develops.[10]  Approximately 5–10% of cancers are due to inherited genetic
defects.[11]  Cancer can be detected by certain signs and symptoms or screening tests.[2]  It is then
typically further investigated by medical imaging and confirmed by biopsy.[12]

The risk of developing certain cancers can be reduced by not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight,
limiting alcohol intake, eating plenty of  vegetables,  fruits, and  whole grains,  vaccination  against
certain infectious diseases, limiting consumption of  processed meat  and  red meat, and limiting
exposure to direct  sunlight.[13][14]  Early detection through screening is useful
[15]
for  cervical  and  colorectal cancer.   The benefits of screening for  breast cancer  are
controversial.[15][16]  Cancer is often treated with some combination of  radiation therapy,
surgery, chemotherapy and targeted therapy.[2][4] Pain and symptom management are an important
part of care.[2] Palliative care is particularly important in people with advanced disease.[2] The chance
of survival depends on the type of cancer and extent of disease at the start of treatment.[10] In children
under 15 at diagnosis, the  five-year survival rate  in the  developed world  is on average 80%.[17]  For
cancer in the United States, the average five-year survival rate is 66%.[5]

In 2015, about 90.5 million people worldwide had cancer.[18]  In 2019, annual cancer cases grew by
23.6 million people and there were 10 million deaths worldwide, representing over the previous
decade increases of 26% and 21%, respectively.[6][19]

The most common types of cancer in males are  lung cancer,  prostate cancer,  colorectal cancer,
and stomach cancer.[20] In females, the most common types are breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung
cancer, and cervical cancer.[10] If skin cancer other than melanoma were included in total new cancer
cases each year, it would account for around 40% of cases.[21][22]  In children,  acute lymphoblastic
leukemia and brain tumors are most common, except in Africa, where non-Hodgkin lymphoma occurs
more often.[17]  In 2012, about 165,000 children under 15 years of age were diagnosed with
cancer.[20]  The risk of cancer increases significantly with age, and many cancers occur more
commonly in developed countries.[10] Rates are increasing as  more people live to an old age  and as
lifestyle changes occur in the developing world.[23]  The global total economic costs of cancer were
estimated at US$1.16 trillion per year as of 2010.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer 1/1