Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread to other parts of the body. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bleeding, prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss, and a change in bowel movements. While these symptoms may indicate cancer, they may have other causes.[ver 100 types of cancers affect humans.
Tobacco use is the cause of about 22% of cancer deaths. Another 10% are due to obesity, poor diet, lack of physical activity, and excessive drinking of alcohol Other factors include certain infections, exposure to ionizing radiation and environmental pollutants. In the developing world nearly 20% of cancers are due to infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human papillomavirus infection These factors act, at least partly, by changing the genes of a Typically many genetic changes are required before cancer develops Approximately 5–10% of cancers are due to inherited genetic defects from a person’s parents.Cancer can be detected by certain signs and symptoms or screening tests.It is then typically further investigated by medical imaging and confirmed by biopsy.