This article is about the group of diseases.

For other uses, see Cancer (disambiguation).

Cancer

Other names Malignant tumor, malignant neoplasm

A coronal CT scan showing a malignant mesothelioma

Legend: → tumor ←, ✱ central pleural effusion, 1 & 3 lungs,

2 spine, 4 ribs, 5 aorta, 6 spleen, 7 & 8 kidneys, 9 liver

/ˈkænsər/ ( listen)
Pronunciation

Specialty Oncology

Symptoms Lump, abnormal bleeding, prolonged cough,

unexplained weight loss, change in bowel

movements[1]

Risk factors Exposure to carcinogens, tobacco, obesity,

poor diet, lack of physical activity,

excessive alcohol, certain infections[2][3]

Treatment Radiation therapy,

surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy[2][4]
 Prognosis Average five-year survival 66% (USA)[5]

Frequency 24 million annually (2019)[6]

Deaths 10 million annually (2019)[6]

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, eating resistant starch,[13]
[14]
 vaccination against certain infectious diseases, limiting consumption of processed meat and red
meat, and limiting exposure to direct sunlight.[15][16] Early detection through screening is useful
for cervical and colorectal cancer.[17] The benefits of screening for breast cancer are controversial.[17]
[18]
 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%.
[19]
 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.[20] 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][21]
The most common types of cancer in males are lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer,
and stomach cancer.[22] 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.[23][24] In children, acute
lymphoblastic leukemia and brain tumors are most common, except in Africa, where non-Hodgkin
lymphoma occurs more often.[19] In 2012, about 165,000 children under 15 years of age were
diagnosed with cancer.[22] 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.[25] The global total economic costs of
cancer were estimated at US$1.16 trillion per year as of 2010.[26]
4:10CC
Video summary (script)

Contents
 1Etymology and definitions
 2Signs and symptoms
o 2.1Local symptoms
o 2.2Systemic symptoms
o 2.3Metastasis
 3Causes
o 3.1Chemicals
o 3.2Diet and exercise
o 3.3Infection
o 3.4Radiation
o 3.5Heredity
o 3.6Physical agents
o 3.7Hormones
o 3.8Autoimmune diseases
 4Pathophysiology
o 4.1Genetics
o 4.2Epigenetics
o 4.3Metastasis
o 4.4Metabolism
 5Diagnosis
 6Classification
 7Prevention
o 7.1Dietary
o 7.2Medication
o 7.3Vaccination
 8Screening
o 8.1Recommendations
o 8.2Genetic testing
 9Management
o 9.1Chemotherapy
o 9.2Radiation
o 9.3Surgery
o 9.4Palliative care
o 9.5Immunotherapy
o 9.6Laser therapy
o 9.7Alternative medicine
 10Prognosis
 11Epidemiology
 12History
 13Society and culture
o 13.1Economic effect
o 13.2Workplace
 14Research
 15Pregnancy
 16Other animals
 17References
 18Further reading
 19External links