1. Non-Communicable Diseases Lesson 7
Cancer Answers
Non-Communicable Diseases
Lesson 7

2. What Is Cancer?
The development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to invade and destroy normal body tissue.

3. What Causes Cancer? Mutations in DNA
*Some mutations cannot repair themselves, causing the cells to grow and become cancerous.*
Can live beyond a normal cell life span – causes cancer cells to accumulate

4. Cancer Cells Clusters of cancer cells can form a tumor. Tumor
Abnormal growth of tissue
Benign and malignant

5. Benign Tumor Not cancerous Does not spread to other parts of the body.
Usually can be removed and do not grow back.

6. Malignant Tumor Cancerous May spread to other parts of the body
Cells can break away from tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system
Can form new tumors in other parts of body

7. Increasing Your Risk Factors known to increase your risk of cancer:
Habits
Family history/heredity
Health conditions
Environment

8. Tan Much???

9. Cancer Stats Most common = skin cancer Most common in males = prostate
Most common in females = breast
Leading cause of cancer deaths = lung
Common cancers in teens = lymphoma, bone, germ cell, leukemia, and brain tumors

10. 2009 Estimated US Cancer Deaths*
26% Lung & bronchus
15% Breast
9% Colon & rectum
6% Pancreas
5% Ovary
4% Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
3% Leukemia
3% Uterine corpus
2% Liver & intrahepatic bile duct
2% Brain/ONS
25% All other sites
Lung & bronchus 30%
Prostate 9%
Colon & rectum 9%
Pancreas 6%
Leukemia 4%
Liver & intrahepatic 4% bile duct
Esophagus 4%
Urinary bladder 3%
Non-Hodgkin % lymphoma
Kidney & renal pelvis 3%
All other sites %
Men 292,540
Women 269,800
Lung cancer is, by far, the most common fatal cancer in men (30%), followed by prostate (9%), and colon & rectum (9%). In women, lung (26%), breast (15%), and colon & rectum (9%) are the leading sites of cancer death.
ONS=Other nervous system.
Source: American Cancer Society, 2009.

11. US Mortality, 2006 No. of deaths % of all deaths Rank Cause of Death
1. Heart Diseases 631,
2. Cancer ,
3. Cerebrovascular diseases 137,
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases 124,
5. Accidents (unintentional injuries) 121,
6. Diabetes mellitus 72,
7. Alzheimer disease ,
8. Influenza & pneumonia 56,
Nephritis* ,
10. Septicemia 34,
Cancer accounts for nearly one-quarter of deaths in the United States, exceeded only by heart diseases. In 2006, there were 559,888 cancer deaths in the US.
*Includes nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis.
Source: US Mortality Data 2006, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009.