Your Path to Recovery

Cancer in General

Every day, cells in our bodies divide, grow and die. Most of the time cells divide and grow in an orderly fashion, but sometimes they grow out of control. This uncontrolled growth of cells form a mass or a lump called a tumor.

Cancer is an abnormal, continuous multiplying of cells. The cells divide uncontrollably and may grow into adjacent tissue or spread to distant parts of the body. The mass of cells eventually become large enough to produce lumps, masses, or tumors that can be detected.

Benign Tumors:
• are not cancerous
• can usually be removed
• do not come back in most cases
• do not spread to other parts of the body, and the cells do not invade other tissues

Malignant Tumors:
• are cancerous
• can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs
• metastasize (cancer cells break away from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system to form secondary tumors in other parts of the body)

To use this website, please choose from the list below to learn more about a specific type of cancer.

Learn more about cancer on the NCI website >