Understanding Cancer
Cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up
tissues. Tissues make up the organs of the body. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new
cells as the body needs them. When
cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place.
Sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does not need
them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor. Not
all tumors are cancer.
Tumors can be benign or
malignant:
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