Cancer is a group of over 100 diseases characterized by abnormal, uncontrolled cell growth.
In a healthy body, cells grow, die, and are replaced in a very controlled way.
Damage or change in the genetic material of cells by environmental or internal factors
sometimes results in cells that do not die and continue to multiply until a mass of cancer cells
or a tumor develops. Most cancer related deaths are due to metastasis:
malignant cells that penetrate into the circulatory system and establish colonies in other parts of the body.
Great advancements have been made, but cancer is still the leading cause of death
for people under the age of 85. In the United States, one in every four people
die from cancer.