Cancer Questions and Answers
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding cancer. Please take
the chance to read over these cancer questions and answers, so that
you can be better prepared. We hope that this FAQ can help answer
your questions regarding cancer.
For more helpful information regarding cancer, don’t hesitate
to check out the following CancerBasics.info links listed below: Rights
of a cancer patient, second
opinion, stages of cancer,
cancer recurrence,
cancer myths, and cancer
clinical trials.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is cancer contagious?
A: Cancer is not contagious. So it cannot spread
from person to person.
Q: What is the difference between a benign
tumor and cancer?
A:
- A benign tumor sits there and grows slowly. If you remove it, it doesn't return. However, if it is in the wrong place (like deep in the brain), it can still kill.
- Cancer is a malignant tumor, which invades tissues aggressively. It may only invade locally, or it may metastasize and spread to areas far away, like the lungs and liver. The most malignant types grow rapidly and have already spread or metastasized to other organs before the original tumor is detected. So a malignant tumor of the skin that is only locally invasive can have a better outlook than a benign tumor of the brain.
- Cancers are now "staged", or classified into degrees of malignancy. The mild types have a more hopeful outlook than the severe types.
A: So far, there are many things that can cause cancer (but not in all cases). Some of the most common causes of cancer are: smoking (even second-hand smoke!), drinking, taking certain kinds of drugs, a bad environment, exposure to chemicals, and harmful, frequent exposure to UV rays unprotected. So, for instance, going out in the sun without wearing sunscreen for a long period of time, and frequently, increases your chance of contracting skin cancer. Another example is if you smoke, or exposes to it, increases your chance of contracting lung cancer.
Q: Can cancer be inherited?
A: Yes. However, don’t think that because your relative has cancer, that you most definitely will too.
Q: How can cancer be inherited?
A:
- There are actual cancer-causing genes ("oncogenes") that are present in higher number in cancer-prone individuals.
- There are also cancer-fighting cells which are more efficient in some individuals than in others.
Q: How does the environment and chemicals cause
cancer?
A: One way is to cause damage by increasing "free
radicals." These free radicals are very active chemical substances
that react with tissues and change their chemical composition. These
damaged tissues may lose the genetic instructions that control their
normal cell division. This turns them into cancer cells.
Q: How can we prevent cancer?
A:
- Avoid environmental factors that cause cancer. For example, fair skinned people should always wear sunscreen when going out in the sun for a long length of time.
- Exercise!
- Avoid harmful chemicals
- If you are smoking, consider quitting.
- I increase the amounts of anti-oxidants in the one’s food. (Such as beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, pycnogenol, and others). Anti- oxidants are free radical scavengers (they de-activate free radicals). Controlled medical studies have proven their ability to decrease the incidence of cancer in humans. Co-enzyme Q-10 can also decrease the chance of getting cancer.
Q: Is there a cure for cancer?
A: Yes!
Q: How can we cure cancer?
A:
- Surgery
- Diet change
- Anti-oxidants
- Herbs
- Medication
- Radiation
- Chemotherapy
Q: I thought surgery just spread cancer around?
A: Some types of cancer can be fully cured by surgery,
if they only invade locally, if they are caught early, and if a
big enough piece of tissue is removed. Also, some types of benign
tumors can turn into cancer if left long enough, so surgery is a
better alternative.
Q: Why not just take herbal cancer cures to prevent
it?
A: Because many of the cancer herbs are toxic.
Plus, taking them doesn’t guarantee you’ll be safe from
cancer.
• Find out about Causes and Prevention of cancer
• More Resources on Cancer topics
• Question and Answers on Cancer
• Learn more about cancer terms
