What is Cancer

The cells that make up the human body normally grow, divide, and die. In the early years of life, cells grow and divide at a rapid pace so that the person can grow, however, as that person ages, cell growth and division slows. In this later stage, cells usually only divide after injuries or to replace dying cells. Unlike these normal cells, sometimes abnormal cells can grow uncontrollably resulting in the disease called cancer. Although there are common types of cancer that we are all probably familiar with, cancer is actually the umbrella name for over 100 diseases that all result from abnormal cell growth.

The growth process of these cancer cells is very different from the process that normal cells go through. In the normal process, cells will die, but these cells do not die and instead continue to grow and eventually become abnormal cells. Additionally, cancerous cells can invade other tissues, which is something that normal cells cannot do. The reason cells become cancer cells are due to damage in their Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA, the organic material in each cell that contains genetic instructions to direct all cell processes. A normal cell would either repair this damage to the DNA or die.

Cancerous cells, on the other hand, neither repair the damage nor die and go on to produce more cells that are unnecessary to the body. These new cells contain the same damaged DNA as the original cell and they also continue to reproduce with that damaged DNA and so on. Eventually, this becomes a mass of damaged cells and in most cases will form a tumor.

Cells with damaged DNA can be inherited.  Damage can be caused by something in the environment, or damage results when a normal cell makes a mistake while reproducing. Once cancer begins, it does not always stay in one region of the body but can spread to other parts. The cells can travel to other parts of the body where they grow and cause a tumor to form there, too. This spreading, called metastasis, occurs when cancerous cells get into the blood stream or lymph nodes and are dispersed throughout the body.

Cancer Care
The Northeast Georgia Diagnostic Clinic offers comprehensive cancer care from a team of caring physicians and healthcare professionals.  These professionals are dedicated to the treatment of cancer and helping cancer patients live their lives to the fullest while receiving the best medical care available. Our team is made up of board certified oncologists and registered nurses with decades of experience and a heartfelt commitment to offering patients the latest advances in oncology care.  To learn more, please contact us today to speak to one of our professional staff members.