Cancer is a general term used to describe diseases in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and

destroy body tissue. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph
systems. There are several key characteristics of cancer cells that differentiate them from normal cells.

One main characteristic of cancer cells is that they divide uncontrollably and do not die when older cells
do. Normal cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When normal cells become
old or damaged, they die, and new cells take their place. Cancer cells do not behave like normal cells.
They keep dividing when new cells are not needed, forming new abnormal cells that the body does not
need. They also do not die when they should. The extra cells form a mass of tissue called a tumor.

Another characteristic of cancer cells is that they can invade nearby tissues. Normal cells typically exist
together in tissue, but cancer cells are often able to penetrate the basement membrane that separates
different tissue layers. They may then spread (metastasize) through the bloodstream and lymphatic
system to other organs and tissues. This can occur when cancer cells penetrate blood or lymph vessels
and are carried through these fluids to reside in and establish new tumors in other parts of the body
away from where the original tumor started. This process, called metastasis, makes cancer cells very
dangerous and most cancers are life-threatening once they start metastasizing.

A third characteristic of cancer cells is the ability to develop blood vessels, a process known as
angiogenesis. Tumors need nutrients and oxygen in order to grow. Normal cells must be near blood
vessels to receive these nutrients. Cancer cells release chemical signals that instruct the body to grow
new blood vessels near the tumor site. The growing tumor then hijacks this angiogenic process and
supplies itself with a dedicated blood supply, allowing it to continue growing rapidly.

Another key feature of cancer cells is their ability to circumvent programmed cell death, or apoptosis.
Apoptosis is the process by which cells undergo a carefully regulated death naturally at the end of their
lifespans. Cancer cells have genetic mutations that allow them to bypass the signals responsible for
triggering apoptosis. They therefore do not die when they are supposed to, allowing the abnormal cells
to accumulate.

Malignant or cancerous tumors can be categorized into the four main types based on the tissue of origin:
carcinomas, sarcomas, lymphomas, and leukemias.

Carcinomas are cancers that arise from epithelial tissues such as those found in the lining of organs, skin,
lungs, breast ducts, and intestines. Since epithelial cells are involved in many organs, carcinomas
constitute around 80-90% of all cancers. Some common carcinomas include lung cancer, prostate cancer,
breast cancer, and colon cancer.
Sarcomas are cancers that develop in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or
supportive tissues. They account for about 1% of all cancer cases. Common sarcoma cancers include
osteosarcoma of bone and liposarcoma of fat tissue.

Lymphoma cancers develop in the lymph system, which helps fight infection and disease. There are two
main categories - Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Together they account for about
4-5% of all cancers.

Leukemia is cancer of the bone marrow and blood. It features high numbers of abnormal white blood
cells. There are four main types - acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute
myeloid leukemia, and chronic myeloid leukemia - depending on the type of blood cell affected and the
disease course. Leukemias together account for about 3% of all cancers.

In addition to the four main types, some less common cancers may be classified based on the organ
involved or the cell of origin. For example, cancers arising from blood vessel cells are called
angiosarcomas, and cancer arising from bone-forming cells are called osteosarcomas. Melanomas
develop in melanocyte cells that produce pigment in the skin. More specific subtypes are defined by
their location, cell morphology, molecular genetics, and other criteria as science continues to better
understand the underpinnings of cancer development.

Cancer staging provides useful information about how much the cancer has spread and helps determine
the appropriate treatment approach. It is an important factor in prognosis. The most commonly used
cancer staging system is the TNM (Tumor-Nodes-Metastasis) system, where T describes the size and
extent of the original (primary) tumor, N describes whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph
nodes, and M indicates whether the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body. Combining T, N,
and M results in an overall cancer stage of 0, I, II, III or IV, with stage IV being the most advanced.
Accurate staging allows doctors to choose the most effective therapies with the goal of controlling,
removing, or destroying cancer at its current location and preventing recurrence or spread.

In summary, the defining characteristics of cancer cells are abnormal uncontrolled division, invasion into
surrounding tissues, ability to spread through the body via metastasis, induction of new blood vessel
growth, and evasion of programmed cell death. The major types of cancer are carcinomas, sarcomas,
lymphomas, and leukemias which together account for the vast majority of all malignancies.
Understanding the biological properties and categorization of cancers helps explain their behavior and
guides optimal treatment planning. Continued research is unraveling ever more precise
subcategorizations that will lead to increasingly personalized management approaches tailored for each
individual patient's cancer.