The cure will come eventually and the world will rejoice that this awful disease that can strike anyone at any time has been silenced. Whilst we do know about some of the causes of cancer, no-one can predict who, where or when it will be triggered.

Even now many people do not really understand what cancer is despite growing up with it all around them. Could it be true that we are all born with it? Well, it is a disease that's characterized by a large number of cells that continue to grow and divide; they invade and destroy adjacent tissues and may even spread to other anatomical sites through a process called metastasis.

The difference between a cancerous tumor an a benign one is that malignant tumors continue to grow whereas benign ones limit their growth an many of us live comfortably with them during out lives without even knowing. Cancerous cells may have been transformed by radiation or poison for example and this creates genetic abnormality in those cells which then continue to grow and divide.

To further complicate matters, it can also be the result of problems with faulty genetic codes passed down by parents which means that a person can be born with pre-cancerous cells although faults can also occur with the body's DNA replication ability. Complex relationships between carcinogens and a person's genetic makeup may explain why only some develop it after exposure to a known carcinogen.

Long term research has given a better picture of what cancer is and the study of cancer is one of the top ten diseases being researched throughout the world. More information is being gathered about all illnesses and why some people are more prone to certain conditions. Knowledge like this could enable more people avoid contracting cancer in the first place.

It is now believed by many that the food we eat could be responsible for many cases. Even if this is not the case, what we eat does have an effect on our overall and long term health. Some of the foodstuffs that could be causing these problems are salt, saturated fats and dairy products. A high calcium intake could possibly be responsible for cases of prostrate cancer in men.

Cancer can affect any part of the body from the bones, blood, skin or organs. nowhere is safe from it. This is an insidious disease that can take a long time to surface but fortunately the number of forms that can be treated is increasing all the time. Cancer is not the certain death sentence it once was and although many of its various forms are incurable at this time, medical science continues to improve.