All living things - ourselves included - are made up of cells. Cells are microscopic packages of living material and we have billions of them. They come in many different types: liver cells, brain cells, blood cells and so on. In the normal adultS, cells only grow and divide slowly and under very tight control to make sure that the number of cells in each tissue stays the same. Cancer begins when one cell changes and starts growing and dividing rapidly and out of control. This one cells divides to give two cells, then four, eight and so on until they form growing mass of cancer cells - called a tumor.

Tumors are abnormal growth of cells in an uncontrolled manner and are of two types viz.

• Benign tumors – increase in
• Malignant tumors

Benign tumors increase in size but are often harmless until they are near any vital organ. Malignant tumor is termed as Cancer which proliferates in an uncontrolled way causing in some cases, to spread.

Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. It occurs when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply uncontrollably.

Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and the second most common in women (after breast cancer),[1] is responsible for 1.3 million deaths worldwide annually.

Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the cells of the breast in women and men. Worldwide, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer

Stomach or gastric cancer can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs and the liver. Stomach cancer causes nearly one million deaths worldwide per year.

Cervical cancer is malignant cancer of the cervix uteri or cervical area. It may present with vaginal bleeding but symptoms may be absent until the cancer is in its advanced stages. Treatment consists of surgery (including local excision) in early stages and chemotherapy and radiotherapy in advanced stages of the disease.

Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin which can have many causes. The most common skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma.

Ovarian cancer is thought to most commonly form in the outer lining of the ovary (resulting in epithelial ovarian cancer) and, less commonly, in the egg cells

Oesophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma.

Bladder cancer refers to any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine; it is located in the pelvis. The most common type of bladder cancer begins in cells lining the inside of the bladder and is called transitional cell carcinoma

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow and is characterized by an abnormal proliferation (production by multiplication) of blood cells, usually white blood cells (leukocytes).

Pancreatic cancer is sometimes called a "silent killer" because early pancreatic cancer often does not cause symptoms, and the later symptoms are usually non-specific and varied. Therefore, pancreatic cancer is often not diagnosed until it is advanced.

According to National Cancer Registry Programme data collected by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), every Hour, cancer kills 50 people in India while 100 other people are diagnosed with it within the same period. This makes cancer the fourth biggest killer disease in India.

Annually about 4, 40,000 people die of various types of cancers in India, while 7 to 9 lakhs are diagnosed with them. At any given moment there are 2.6 million cancer patients in the country.

The National Cancer Registry Programme data reveals that several parts of India have the world’s highest incidence of cancers of the gall bladder, mouth and lower pharynx.

Breast cancer has replaced cancer of the cervix as the leading cancer among women in urban India. Lung cancer is the most common cancer in men in the metros such as Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.

The major cancers affecting the Indian male population are the cancers of the head, neck and lungs.

The major cancers affecting the Indian female population are the cancers of the breast and the uterine cervix.

The major warning signs of cancer can be remembered by the acronym:

C      Change in bowel or bladder habits.
A      A sore throat does not heal.
U      Unusual bleeding or discharge.
T      Thickening or lump in the breast or elsewhere.
I      Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing.
O      Obvious change in a wart or mole.
N      Nagging cough or hoarseness of voice.
S      Significant loss of weight.

The major risk factors associated with cancer are:

• Tobacco - Smoking.
• Obesity.
• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Certain occupational exposures.
• Family history of cancer.

Most cancers are initially recognized either because signs or symptoms appear or through screening. Neither of these lead to a definitive diagnosis, which usually requires the opinion of a pathologist, a type of physician (medical doctor) who specializes in the diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.

People with suspected cancer are investigated with medical tests. These commonly include blood tests, X-rays, CT scans and endoscopy.

A thorough check-up includes the following:

• A careful inspection of the entire body surface, heart and lung examinations.
• Examinations of the stomach and intestines by X-Ray when indicated.
• Microscopic examination of blood, urine and any other suspected tissues.
• Other examinations as indicated such as the eye, bladder and the prostate by appropriate methods.
• The check-up is completely painless

Chemotherapy is the use of medicines or drugs to treat disease. Many times this treatment is called just "chemo." Surgery and radiation therapy remove, kill, or damage cancer cells in a certain area, but chemo works throughout the whole body. Chemo can kill cancer cells that have metastasized or spread to parts of the body far away from the primary (original) tumor.

More than 100 chemo drugs are used in many combinations. A single chemo drug can be used to treat cancer. But for the most part, the drugs work better when used in certain combinations. Your chemo treatment will likely include more than one drug. This is called combination chemotherapy. A combination of drugs with different actions can work together to kill more cancer cells. It can also reduce the chance that the cancer may become resistant to any one chemo drug.

You and your doctor will decide what drug or combination of drugs you will get. Your doctor will choose the doses, how the drugs will be given, and how often and how long you will get treatment. All of these decisions will depend on the type of cancer, where it is, how big it is, and how it is affecting your normal body functions and overall health.

Radiation therapy is one of the many tools used to combat cancers. Radiation treatments utilize high-energy waves such as x-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation can be used alone or in conjunction with other treatments (e.g. chemotherapy and surgery) to cure or stabilize cancer.

Like other therapies, the choice to use radiation to treat a particular cancer depends on a wide range of factors. These include, but are not limited to, the type of cancer, the physical state of the patient, the stage of the cancer, and the location of the tumor.

A mammogram is a safe, low-dose x-ray of the breast. It is still the best tool we have to find breast cancer early and save lives. All women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every 1-2 years.

• Mammograms are very useful, but they cannot find all problems.
• If you notice a change in your breast like a lump, thickening, or liquid leaking from the nipple, call your doctor or clinic right away.
• Many breast changes are not cancer, but only a doctor can know for sure.

A Pap smear is a test your doctor does to check for signs of cancer of the cervix. The cervix is part of your uterus (womb). During a Pap smear, your doctor takes a sample of cells from your cervix to be tested and examined.

To take the sample, your doctor will put a special instrument called a speculum into your vagina. This helps open your vagina so the sample can be taken. Your doctor will gently clean your cervix with a cotton swab and then collect a sample of cells with a small brush, a tiny spatula or a cotton swab. This sample is put on a glass slide and sent to a lab to be checked under a microscope.

Cancer prevention is a dynamic field where the scientists are learning more and more with every passing day. It is estimated that most men and women can reduce their odds of getting cancer by almost half by the adoption of these practices.

Primary prevention involves adopting a healthy life style. Secondary prevention on the other hand involves working with your Doctor to diagnose a cancer or a precancerous growth while it is still curable through the use of screening examinations.

Here are some steps you and your physician can take to reduce the risk of cancer:

• Consume a low fat (not more than 30% of total daily calorie requirement) and a high fibre (20-30 grams per day) diet.
• Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables everyday.
• Control your calorie intake to prevent excessive weight gain.
• Do not use Tobacco products.
• Avoid excessive sun exposure without protective clothing and sun screens.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages or consume only moderate amounts - not more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1 .5 ounces of hard liquor.
• Avoid exposure to cancer-causing chemicals or material such as asbestos or radon.
• Use protective clothing during exposure to hazardous substances.
• Ask your Doctor about the benefits and risks of diagnostic X-Rays.
• Learn techniques to reduce stress in your life.
• Practice safe sex.

Regular screening test and examinations called secondary prevention can help detect cancers in the early stages of development when they may be easier to cure.

The cancers which have a known cause, as in the case of most cancers occurring in the Indian population are preventable by following some healthy habits and by regular medical checkup which have been enumerated earlier (Primary Prevention).

Majority of other cancers for which a definite cause has not been found, can be detected at an early stage by some preventive cancer checkups (Secondary Prevention).

Majority of cancers if detected early are curable to a large extent. The earlier the detection, the greater are the chances of cure.