Lets learn about CANCER!

What is cancer?

"Cancer" isn't really ONE disease, but many. There are over 100 known types of cancer, but these all share one thing in common: they are damaged "self-destructive" cells in the body. There are literally hundreds of cancer cells in your body everyday, but the human body is an amazing thing, and kills these abnormal cells before they can start to spread and cause damage to the body.

How does it form/spread through the body?

Cancer can be CAUSED in a lot of different ways, but its formation is generally the same. Something causes the DNA of a normal, healthy human cell to mutate. Theses mutated cells live past their normal life-span and divide, causing growths we call tumors. (However, some cancers do not form tumors, like leukemia, which affects blood and bone marrow.) These tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors do NOT spread and can usually be removed permanently. Malignant tumors DO spread and can be difficult to remove. Malignant tumors usually spread by infecting other cells, or hitching a ride on a blood vessel or lymphatic vessel (Like a blood vessel, except for the immune system) to make a "home" in a different location. This is called metastasis.

How is it caused?

Cancer can be caused by a lot of different things, but there are a few major things.
CELL DIVISION AND REPLICATION ERRORS
Cancer can be caused simply by an error in the replication of cells in the body. During mitosis (cell division), an error can from in the middle of this, causing on of the resulting cells to be cancerous. Most Cells like this are killed of by the body before they can start to spread and multiply.
VIRUSES
Yes, cancer can be CAUSED by a virus. No, cancer isn't A virus. To understand how a virus can cause cancer, it can help to know what a virus is and what it does in the body. A virus is a protein coat, or capsid, that attacks a cell by injecting its genetic material into the cell, taking over its functions to make new proteins and genetic material for the virus. Sometimes, these cells taken over by the virus can turn cancerous and begin the process of metastasis.
RADIATION
Radiation is the process in which electromagnetic waves travel through matter or a vacuum. Ionizing radiation is radiation that is capable of taking away an electron from an atom or molecule. Gamma radiation and UV light are both ionizing radiations and are capable of causing cancer. When an electron is taken away from an atom or molecule the substance may become unstable, and this can cause problems in DNA, as atoms or molecules may bond with other ones.
CARCINOGENS
Carcinogens are substances capable of causing cancer, such as cigarettes or asbestos. These substances mess with the DNA in cells, causing errors in mitosis. These substances usually affect the lungs, skin and stomach areas in the body.
OLD AGE
As people get older, their risk for cancer gets higher. Errors in cell mitosis are more frequent and the immune system isn't as strong as if they were older, allowing viruses and mutated cells the ability to divide faster without as much opposition.

How can I prevent it?

Avoiding cancer is quite easy. Just excersice decently, eat healthy, wear sunscreen and protect your skin, and not forming habits such as smoking are all great ways to prevent cancer. If you think you might have cancer, such as discolored moles that change shape and color, visit you doctor immediately! The earlier it's caught, the better it can be treated.

Sources+a good luck cat

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/cancerlibrary/what-is-cancer
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/what-is-cancer
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/alllife/virus.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1994798/
The Illustrated Atlas of the Human Body By: Beverly McMillian

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEAAAASE tell me if I have any incorrect info or unreliable sources. (please) I do NOT want misinform imgur, i want to inform them. I appreciate constructive criticism on how to do this better next time, if there is a next time.

And finally, a question: Should I make another one on Ebola? If this scores 1000+ points I'll just take that as a "yes"