Cancer Risks & Treatment

Cancer Treatment Strategies

Chemotherapy
Surgery
Radiation therapy

Chemotherapy

This kind of cancer treatment uses chemicals that are specifically designed to destroy the cells associated with cancer.

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome

A syndrome caused by a mutation in the gene TP53. This can lead to sarcomas, osteosarcoma and breast cancer.

Benign Neoplasia / Tumor

These tumors stay in one place in the body without spreading or moving to surrounding areas.

Cancer Risk Factors

Certain viruses
Use of some chemicals and drugs
Genetic factors
Radiation from the sun or tanning beds
Gender and hormones

Multifocal Cancer

This type of cancer develops along multiple points of focus in a patient.

Radiation Therapy

A treatment for cancer that works by destroying cancer cells with the use of radiation created by medical equipment.

Surgery

Doctors use this process to treat cancers when they go in and take cancer out of a patient's body. If the cancer is severe enough, they may remove the organ it is growing in.

Carcinoma in Situ

This is a malignant form of cancer that doesn't move beyond an organ's superficial layers or spread in the body. It continues to multiply, however, and can transform to a malignant tumor.

Cancer Syndrome / Family Cancer Syndrome

A condition that occurs when individuals inherit genetic mutations that then raise their chances of developing cancer, especially in paired organs such as kidneys.

Carcinogens

These agents can cause cancer even in people without genetic risk factors. Tobacco smoke is an example.

Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome (HBOC)

A cancer often found in families that affects women with mutations in their BRCA1, BRCA2 or possibly BRCA3 genes.

Mitotic Index

An index that represents how many cells in an observed group are completing the process of cell division. A higher number on this index represents a large chance that a tumor is cancerous.

Malignant Neoplasia / Tumor

These tumors are dangerous because they may spread, even infiltrating the tissues around them. Some can be hard to remove even with surgery.