Cancer
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Understanding Cancer Prognosis
If you have cancer, you may have questions about how serious your cancer is and your chances of survival. The estimate of how the disease will go for you is called prognosis. It can be hard to understand what prognosis means and also hard to…
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Cancer Staging
Stage refers to the extent of your cancer, such as how large the tumor is and if it has spread. Knowing the stage of your cancer helps your doctor A cancer is always referred to by the stage it was given at diagnosis, even if…
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How Cancer Is Diagnosed
If you have a symptom or a screening test result that suggests cancer, your doctor will find out whether it is due to cancer or some other cause. There is no single test that can diagnose cancer. So your doctor may start by asking about…
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Symptoms of Cancer
Cancer can cause many symptoms, but these symptoms are most often caused by illness, injury, benign tumors, or other problems. If you have symptoms that do not get better after a few weeks, see your doctor so that problems can be diagnosed and treated as…
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Common Cancer Myths and Misconceptions
Certain popular ideas about how cancer starts and spreads—though scientifically wrong—can seem to make sense, especially when those ideas are rooted in old theories. But wrong ideas about cancer can lead to needless worry and even hinder good prevention and treatment decisions. This page provides…
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What Is Cancer?
The Definition of Cancer Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells. Normally, human cells…
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Cancer Screening: It Saves Lives, But Are We Missing Opportunities?
Regular cancer screening can detect cancer early when it’s often most treatable. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has clear recommendations for breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancer screening. Sadly, many eligible adults aren’t getting screened as recommended, meaning we are likely missing opportunities…
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Boosting Cancer Detection: New “Priming Agents” May Revolutionize Liquid Biopsies
Liquid biopsies, which analyze blood samples for traces of cancer DNA (ctDNA), hold immense promise for revolutionizing cancer care. Their minimally invasive nature offers advantages over traditional tumor biopsies, potentially allowing for earlier detection, easier monitoring, and personalized treatment choices. However, the sensitivity of liquid…