Dr. Paolo Boffetta – An Overview of the 5 Common Types of Cancer
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Healthy cells in the human body regularly divide and later replace themselves in an organized manner. Cancer occurs when one cell gets altered in such a way that it starts to multiply itself abnormally. When a cluster of such abnormal cells forms, this condition is known as cancer. All tumors in the body are not cancerous; however, most cancers result from a tumor in the body.
Dr. Paolo Boffetta – Know the most common types of cancer
Tumors that are non-cancerous in nature are called benign cancers, and they generally do not spread to other areas in the body. They do not create new tumors. However, malignant tumors are cancerous, and they affect the healthy cells, interfere with the functions in the body, and take nutrients from the healthy cells.
Dr. Paolo Boffetta, a renowned epidemiologist from Turin, Italy, who currently lives in New York, has been researching cancer for several years. He records his observations and has helped many medical establishments and professionals understand how cancer starts and grows in the human body. He moved to Mount Sinai School of Medicine and held the post of Director at The Institute for Translational Epidemiology and Associate Director for Population Sciences of The Tisch Cancer Institute.
He is associated with International Community Medicine and has been, in the past, with several esteemed establishments like The International Agency for Research on Cancer, The Columbia University in New York, and The American Cancer Society at New York.
When it comes to the common types of cancer, they grow and spread due to the direct extension or via a process known as metastasis where the cells that are malignant travel to the lymphatic or blood vessels, leading to new tumors in different areas of the body.
Understanding the term “cancer” better
Cancer covers over 100 diseases that affect almost every area of the human body. All of them are extremely threatening to life. Given below are the common kinds of cancer-
Carcinoma- This type of cancer is the most popular diagnosed cancer that arises in the lungs, breasts, skin, pancreas, glands, and the other glands in the body.
Melanoma- This is cancer that occurs in the body cells that create the skin’s pigment.
Sarcoma- This sort of cancer arises in the blood vessels, fat, bone, muscle, cartilage, and other connective and soft tissues in the body.
Lymphoma- Refers to cancer present in the lymphocytes.
Leukemia- refers to cancer in the blood, and it does not form any solid tumor.
Dr.Paolo Boffetta concludes by pointing out that cancer has been considered for several decades as an ailment for humans; however, the medical community has actually understood what it actually means and how it grows in the past century. Specialists in cancer known as oncologists have made tremendous advances in its diagnoses, prevention strategies, and treatment. Today, individuals diagnosed with cancer are surviving longer than people in the past. However, some forms of cancer are still a challenge to treat, and modern treatment is targeted to enhance the quality of life and survival rates.
