Oncology is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and doctors who specialize in oncology are called oncologists. A cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that have lost normal control mechanisms and thus are able to expand continuously, invade adjacent tissues, and often migrate to distant parts of the body. Cancerous (malignant) cells can develop from any tissue within the body. As cancerous cells grow and multiply, they form a mass of cancerous tissue that invades and destroys normal adjacent tissues. Cancerous cells from the primary (initial) site can spread throughout the body (metastasize). Oncologists distinguish between cancers that affect the blood and blood-forming tissues (such as leukemias and lymphomas) and those that are “solid” tumors. The term tumor refers to any abnormal growth or mass. Tumors can be cancerous or noncancerous. Not all cancers are tumors. For example, cancers that affect the blood, such as leukemia, do not form a single, solid mass.
Cancer
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Prevention and Treatment of Cancer
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- Surgery for Cancer
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- Combination Cancer Therapy
- Alternative Medicine for Cancer
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- Alcohol
- Antioxidants
- Artificial sweeteners
- Bioengineered foods (genetically modified [GMO] foods)
- Calcium
- Coffee
- Fiber
- Fish and omega-3 fatty acids
- Fluoride
- Folate
- Food additives
- Garlic
- Irradiated foods
- Lycopene
- Meats cooked at high temperatures
- Organic food
- Overeating
- Pesticides
- Processed meats
- Salt
- Saturated fats
- Selenium
- Soy
- Spices
- Tea
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Additional information
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Cancer Sections (A-Z)
Overview of Cancer
A cancer is an abnormal growth of cells (usually derived from a single abnormal cell). The cells have lost normal control mechanisms and thus are able to multiply continuously, invade nearby tissues, migrate to distant parts of the body, and promote the growth of new blood vessels from which the cells derive nutrients. Cancerous (malignant) cells can develop from any tissue within the body.
Prevention and Treatment of Cancer
There are many different types of cancer, which have different causes and risk factors. Also, individual people have different risks for developing different cancers. Therefore, no set of prevention strategies is effective in every person. However, some general strategies do reduce risk of cancer in many people.
Also of Interest
Test your knowledge
For some cancers, the best approach is a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes chemotherapy is given before surgery to do which of the following?
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