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Simply
speaking, cancer is an invasive growth or
tumor with a tendency to metastasize, or spread,
to other sites. In Cancer, cells grow out
of control and can then invade nearby tissues or
spread throughout the body. Large clumps of this
abnormal tissue are what make up tumors. Dangerous
Malignant Tumors can spread and threaten
someone's life, while Benign (non-cancerous)
Tumors will not. It can months or even
years for a tumor to get large enough to notice
in an area such as the breast.
In
a normal healthy body the tissue cells have a certain
life expectancy. The cells will grow, divide, and
die after a period of time. The dead cells are replaced
by new healthy cells. The cell of an adult will
usually divide only to replace the old worn out
cells or to repair damaged cells. Cancer
cells are different. They will continue to grow
and divide, outliving normal cells.
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