Cancer is the term used to describe a group of related diseases. In all types of cancer, some of the body’s cells begin to divide without stopping and spread into the surrounding tissues.

Cancer can start in almost any part of the human body, which is made up of billions of cells. Normally, human cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When normal cells age or become damaged, they die, and new cells replace them.

However, in cancer, this orderly process becomes uncontrolled. As cells become more and more abnormal, old or damaged cells survive when they should die, and new cells form when they are not needed. These extra cells can divide without interruption and may form masses known as tumors.