Definition

Cancer is not just one disease, but a group of almost one hundred diseases. These diseases have two common characteristics. First, cells begin to grow out of control in the body. Second, those cells have the ability to travel from their original site to other locations in the body. If the spread is not controlled, cancer can result in death.

Description

Cancer is responsible for one out of every four deaths in the United States. It is second only to heart disease as a cause of death in this country. About 1.2 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer in 1998. Of that number, more than 500,000 are expected to die of the disease.

Cancer can attack anyone, but the chances of getting the disease increase with age. The most common forms of cancer are skin cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer (in women; see breast cancer entry), and prostate...