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There are over a hundred different types of cancers, and every one of them starts when abnormal cells in the body begin to rapidly grow. The body contains literally trillions of cells. Normal cells grow, then divide to make new cells and then die off. Abnormal cells just continue to grow.
What causes a cell to become abnormal? Although this area is still being studied, it has been found that when the DNA of a cell becomes damaged, cancer sets in. In most cases, the cancer cells form into tumors. If the cancer cells gets into the body’s bloodstream, they can form tumors throughout the body. Not all cancer cells form tumors however. For example, leukemia is generally a cancer that forms an overabundance of white blood cells rather than any tumors.
Not all tumors are cancerous. When a tumor is the result of cancer cells it is referred to as being malignant. When it is formed through other means, it is referred to as being benign. Benign tumors are not cancerous but can still cause their own health issues and pain but rarely ever are associated with death.
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