Man has landed on the moon. There are robots to do the housework. But cancer continues to be the curse that it once was. However, it is curable and you can adopt certain precautions to keep it at bay, at least to some extent. But for this you need to know a few things about this much-dreaded disease.

Cancer is a disease that affects the body at a cellular level. It involves the unrestrained division of cells and their subsequent attack on other body tissues. The cancerous cells encroach upon the neighboring tissues while metastasis is that phase of cancer where these cells move to other remote parts of the body either via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system.

Cancer can affect various parts of the body. The most common form of cancer afflicting men in USA is prostrate cancer, followed by lung and colorectal cancers. The female population in USA is most plagued by breast cancer and cancers of the lung and the colorectal region.

Cancer is basically a kind of cellular damage that though common in all ages, has a high chance of afflicting the aged. Though one of the leading causes of death in the advanced countries, cancer is hundred percent curable when detected early.

Much of the terror surrounding cancer stems from the fact that there aren’t many known causes of the disease. So you really do not know what to stay away from. However, there have been much research into the matter and the experiments have come up with the following facts.

There are certain environmental factors like exposure to radiation, carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents and certain viruses. You can make an effort to steer clear of these substances, but making lifestyle changes would be easier.  Yes, there are also lifestyle modes that have been proven to increase the risks of contracting cancer.

Excessive smoking and drinking are believed to be the most common causes of certain types of cancer. You can certainly change your ways in this regard. And so can you with your diet and exercising regime. Certain kinds of diets and obesity are also known to raise the risks of cancer. So it is imperative that you maintain a healthy lifestyle; that is, eat right and exercise right.

Sexually transmitted diseases also intensify the risks of developing tumors and it is advisable that you exercise the necessary precautions.

This is one question that has been plaguing researchers and laymen alike for years on end. It has been conclusively proven that most forms of cancer have got nothing to do with your genes. They are “sporadic”, to use the medical jargon.

But experiments have also proven that there are certain types of cancer that are influenced to a great extent by the presence of some mutated genes.

For instance, some inherent transmutations in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 multiply the risks of breast and ovarian cancer while alterations in the p53 gene has been positively linked with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (osteosarcoma, breast cancer, soft-tissue sarcoma, brain tumors, to be specific). Colon carcinoma is believed to be caused by a mutation of the APC gene, amongst other factors. Other forms of cancer that are genetic in nature are Retinoblastoma in young children, Turcot syndrome (brain tumors and colonic polyposis) and tumors of the endocrine organs.

Cancer therapy certainly helps. So it is imperative that one keeps the regular medical check-ups to avoid things reaching a point of no return.