Causes of cancer

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Cancer is, ultimately, a disease of genes. Typically, a series of several mutations is required before a cell becomes a cancer cell. We distinguish between oncogenes, which promote cancer when "switched on" by a mutation, and tumor suppressor genes, which prevent cancer unless "switched off" by a mutation. These mutations can have various causes: radiation or chemicals called carcinogens; some inherited predisposition is not uncommon; some viruses that can cause cancer have also been described. Usually, they carry in their genome some oncogene or tumor suppressor inactivating gene. In about 15% of all cancers, viruses seem to play a role; Bacteria, like Helicobacter pylori, also induce carcinogenesis by a process of chronic inflammation. Finally, damage by free radicals, which are a natural by-product of oxygen metabolism, can cause mutations in the DNA.

The term cancer is very broad and covers many different illnesses including:

  • Carcinoma (arising from epithelial cells)
  • Bladder carcinoma
  • Breast cancer
  • Cervical cancer
  • Colorectal cancer (includes colon, rectum, anus, and appendix)
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Endometrial cancer (uterus)
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma (liver)
  • Laryngeal cancer
  • Lung cancer
  • Oral cancer
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Prostate cancer
  • Renal cell carcinoma (kidney)
  • Skin cancer
  • Stomach cancer
  • Testicular cancer
  • Thyroid cancer
  • Sarcoma (arising from connective tissue and related)
  • Gastrointestinal stromal cell tumor (GIST)
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma (muscle)
  • Osteosarcoma (bone)
  • Hematological malignancies (blood and bone marrow)
  • Leukemia
  • Lymphomas
  • Hodgkin's disease
  • Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Miscellaneous
  • Brain tumor
  • Melanoma, Moles and dysplastic nevi
  • Teratoma

For most of the cancers, it cannot be told which event was the initial cause. However, with molecular biology, it is possible to characterize the mutations within a tumor, and to a certain extent predict its behavior. For example, about half of the tumors are deficient in the tumor suppressor gene p53, also known as "the guardian of the genome". This is associated with poor prospects for the patient, since those tumor cells are unlikely to go into apoptosis (programmed cell death) after they are damaged by therapy. There are more mutations that make a tumor more malignant. Telomerase mutations enable a tumor cell to divide indefinitely. Other mutations enable the tumor to grow new blood vessels to feed it, or to detach from the surrounding tissue, spreading to other parts of the body.

  • Cancer Information Services
    Information from the U.S. National Cancer Institute including access to links, press releases and publications.
  • Topix.net: Cancer News
    Headline news and content on related issues.
  • Cancer Site Finder.com
    Offers a searchable database of cancer related websites with descriptions of each. Allows users to search by topic, feature, or quality standard.
  • People Living With Cancer
    Patient information from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
  • Cancer Rates And Risks
    Provides international incidence and mortality rates including information about risk factors. From the U.S. National Cancer Institute.