﻿What are Cancer Cells? | How Cells Turn Cancerous - AgingCare.com

What are Cancer Cells?


Cancer is a disease which can spread quickly and impact all of the body's major organs and functions. But cancer begins with the tiniest, most basic unit of life: the cells.

What happens that makes normal cells become cancer cells? Normal, healthy cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When normal cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place.


The Main Categories of Cancer

  • Lymphoma and Myeloma: Cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system.
  • Central Nervous System Cancers: Cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.

Benign or Malignant?

Tumors can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumors aren't cancer. Malignant ones are. Benign tumor cells are usually not as harmful as malignant tumor cells. Benign cells are rarely a threat to life and usually do not need to be removed. Benign tumors do not invade the tissues around them and do not spread to other parts of the body.

How Cancer Spreads



Screening tests can help find cancer at an early stage, before symptoms appear. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat or cure. It is important to remember that when your doctor suggests a screening test, it does not always mean he or she thinks you have cancer. Screening tests are done when you have no cancer symptoms. There are different kinds of screening tests.

  • Physical exam and history: An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease. A history of the patient's health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.
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