What is cancer?
Cancer is a disease that affects our body’s cells – our body’s building blocks. Our body constantly produces new cells in order to replace old, worn out cells, to heal damaged cells or to help us grow. Normally, our cells grow and reproduce themselves in an orderly way. Sometimes, however, this normal process is disrupted in some way and cells grow and reproduce themselves in an uncontrolled manner, producing a lump. This lump is called a tumour.
There are two types of tumours, benign or malignant.
A benign tumour does not spread to other parts of the body. They are not usually cancerous, however, some can be precancerous, meaning they can lead to cancer if left untreated.
A malignant tumour is a mass of cancer cells, which in its early stages may be confined to its original site. If left untreated, the tumour cells can spread to nearby tissue, becoming an invasive cancer. Some cancer cell can also spread to other parts of the body via the lymphatic system or in the bloodstream. Once these breakaway cells reach a new site they may develop into further tumours. This process is called metastasis or often referred to as a secondary cancer.