What is Cancer? Is it a Communicable disease?

What is Cancer?

As we all know some bit of it. It is the abnormal increase of cells or organ of the body. It manifests by swelling of particular organ. But, many a times question remains what causes it? 

Cancer is not one disease. It can arise from almost any organ of the body.  

According to Darwin theory of human evolution, the secret of cancer can be explained. We evolved with only one cell, one can imagine how much these cells put effort to make one human being of 38 trillion cells. So, sometime this evolution process becomes faulty and here is the problem.

Cancer is genetic disease. As we know, our body is made of different types of cells and we started our life from single cell which divides, proliferates and forms the organs. So, during proliferation the cells are checked and directed to form the well-organized system of body. Some of the cells are blessed with super power to proliferate. However, in cancer patient these checking mechanisms are not working properly and also this these cells of super and not regulated power causes cancer. Finally, these cancer cells proliferate, increase in number and invade surrounding and distant organs.

Human body is made of around 20,000 genes. Out of which around 2% are involved in cell proliferation and survival. Cancer is genetic disease means there are faults in these genes. Some of these are pro-proliferation and growth and some of them are against proliferation. To cause cancer, there is increase in activity of pro-proliferating genes and/or suppression of genes which are against the proliferation. 

There is difference between genetic disease and hereditary disease. Hereditary means disease runs in families. Majority of the cancers are not hereditary. Less than 1% of total cancer are hereditary. So, when in family suffers from cancer, we do not generally ask for checking for hereditary causes. 

Routinely some different terminologies are used to describe cancers. Cancer arising from epithelium are called Carcinomas for example – Breast cancer, Lung cancer, Ovarian cancer. Sarcoma is the name used for cancer arising from connective tissue like muscle, fat, bone etc. Leukemia is the word used for cancer arising from blood cells and Lymphoma for lymph node in general as such. 

Many a times, we face problem in OPD with one general question – Is cancer communicable disease like Tuberculosis? Answer is “NO’. Cancer is not a communicable disease. It does not spread from one person to another.