Cancer was the second biggest cause of death in the USA up to 2005. Since then, it has surpassed heart disease to become the number one killer in the USA. The cells in the human body normally grow and replicate in a controlled process. However, with this malignancy, this process goes awry, departs from the expected course and forms new tissue cells that lack a controlled growth pattern and grows into cancerous tumors.

The disease spreads to other parts of the body by releasing cells into the lymph or bloodstream which can result in secondary tumors growing in parts of the body that may be far away from the first or primary tumor. When it spreads and causes another tumor, that tumor is called a secondary cancer and is often noticed before the primary tumor. It is preferable if symptoms of the malignancy are detected before the migration process. The migration process is commonly called metastasis. At this stage, the disease is harder to treat, hence the importance of early recognition of its symptoms.

Common Types of malignancy

There are more than 150 different kinds of malignant growths. The most common types are those of the lung, breast, colon, skin, uterine, mouth and bone marrow. Other prevalent kinds of the tumor include those of the prostate, ovarian, testicular, throat, pancreatic, and liver.

What are the causes or risk factors. How do you get it?

Some of the most popular risk factors of the malignancy include:

• Environmental and Occupational: - how you live, where you work; are there chemicals in the environment?
  
• Viruses.
  
• Over exposure to sunlight or x-rays. The vast majority of skin malignancies including melanoma are caused by the sun's UV rays.
  
• Cigarette smoking. Smoking is the single biggest cause of deaths as a result of this disease and the most preventable in our society. In 1982, the US Surgeon General's Report states, "Cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality in the United States." That statement is still true today.
  
• Your diet can affect your risk for developing the disease. Some malignancies bear a direct relationship with what you eat and drink.

Traditional treatments include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (which carries their own risks and down sides). Prevention and Early Detection are the most effective measures in the fight against the disease. It is strongly recommended that proper screening and physical examination for cancerous growth be done regularly because early recognition is crucial for successful treatment and recovery.