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Cancer - Know Your Body
- What is Cancer?
- Types of Cancer:
- Cancer is a disease that starts off in the cells of the body
- Cancer therefore is an abnormal growth of cells, where cells grow and divide without any control
- Cancer begins when normal cells become abnormal due to damaged DNA
- Damaged DNA can be inherited or become damaged by exposure to something in the environment (such as sunlight, radiation)
- Groups of abnormal cells form a mass called a tumour.
- Tumours can be Benign (not cancerous) or Malignant (cancerous)
- Cancer cells have the ability to spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or blood stream. This is called Metastasis
Source: American Cancer Society, 2006
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Risk for cancer is known to decrease with healthy choices:
- Eating Well
- Keep Active
- Tobacco Reduction
- Limit alcohol use
- Reduce your Stress
- Be sensible in the sun
- Follow cancer screening guidelines
- Report changes in your health to your doctor
- Use caution with hazardous materials
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Revised: Monday May 16 2011
