Cancer can develop in people of all ages, but it is more common in people over 60 years old. One of every three people will develop cancer at some point in their lives.
Because people are living longer, the risk of developing cancer is increasing.
The development of cancer is a long process that usually starts with genetic changes in the cells, and continues in the growth of these cells over time.
The time from genetic change to development of cancer is called the latency period. The latency period can be as long as 30 years or more. This means that some cancers diagnosed today may be due to genetic changes that occurred in the cells a long time ago.
Theoretically, the body develops cancer cells continuously, but the immune system recognizes them as foreign cells and destroys them. The body’s ability to protect itself from cancer can be impaired by some drugs and viral infections.
Diagram Definitions: 1) Differentiation -characteristic trait distinguishing one cell from another; 2) Proliferation -the rapid and repeated production of new cells; 3) Mitotic -cell division resulting in the formation of two new nuclei each having the same number of chromosomes as the parent nucleus.
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