Cancer: Symptoms, Types, News and Updates
Author: Disabled World (DW)
Updated/Revised Date: 2 Nov 2026
Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - About This Section - FAQs - Publications - Subtopics
Synopsis
Cancer is a group of over 100 diseases marked by abnormal cell growth that can invade or spread, with many types now treatable and increasingly curable.
At a Glance
- 1 - Cancer causes nearly one in six deaths worldwide.
- 2 - Only malignant tumor cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize.
- 3 - Benign tumors, such as moles and uterine fibroids, do not invade tissue or spread.
- 4 - Around 40 percent of cancer cases could be prevented by avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol, keeping a healthy weight, staying active, and getting vaccinated against HPV and hepatitis B.
Topic Definition
- Cancer
Cancer, sometimes called a malignant tumor or malignant neoplasm, refers to a large family of more than one hundred diseases that share a single defining trait: cells begin to grow and divide abnormally, often gaining the ability to invade nearby tissue or travel to distant parts of the body. Almost all cancers trace back to damage in the genetic material of the affected cells, whether from carcinogens like tobacco smoke, radiation, and chemicals, from infectious agents, or from errors and inherited faults in DNA. Warning signs vary widely but can include a new lump, unusual bleeding, a lingering cough, unexplained weight loss, or a shift in bowel habits. Although cancer has long carried a reputation as a death sentence, modern medicine has steadily changed that story, and many types are now treated successfully through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, with some fully cured depending on the type, location, and stage at diagnosis.
Overview
Cancer Explained: Types, Symptoms, Treatments, and Survival Insights
Cancer, also known as a malignant tumor or malignant neoplasm, is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Not all tumors are cancerous; benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. Possible signs and symptoms include a new lump, abnormal bleeding, a prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss, and a change in bowel movements, among others. While these symptoms may indicate cancer, they may also occur due to other issues. There are more than 100 different known types of cancers that affect humans.
Cancer has a reputation for being a deadly disease. While this still applies to some types, advances in prevention, screening and treatment keep improving the outlook. In the United States, 70 percent of people diagnosed with cancer from 2015 to 2021 were alive five years later [Siegel et al., 2026], and some types of cancer now have a better prognosis than nonmalignant diseases such as heart failure.
- Cancer causes nearly 1 in 6 deaths worldwide. There were close to 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million cancer deaths in 2022 [Bray et al., 2024].
- Cancer may affect people at all ages, even fetuses, but the risk for most types increases with age.
- In the United States, an estimated 2,114,850 new cancer cases will be diagnosed and 626,140 people will die from cancer in 2026, according to the American Cancer Society [Siegel et al., 2026].
Cancer Terms
Metastasis: the spread of cancer from one organ or part of the body to another, non-adjacent part. Cancer cells break away, travel through the blood or lymph system, and then begin to divide and grow again, eventually forming new tumors, called secondary tumors or metastases. Only malignant tumor cells and some infections have the capacity to spread in this way.
Malignant: a medical term used to describe a severe and progressively worsening disease, most often used to describe cancer.
Benign: a tumor that lacks the malignant properties of a cancer. A benign tumor does not grow in an unlimited, aggressive manner, does not invade surrounding tissues, and does not metastasize. Examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.
What Causes Cancer?
Nearly all cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells. These abnormalities may be due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents. Other cancer-promoting genetic abnormalities may be randomly acquired through errors in DNA replication, or are inherited, and thus present in all cells from birth. The World Health Organization estimates that 30 to 50 percent of cancers could be prevented by avoiding risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, and through vaccination against HPV and hepatitis B [World Health Organization, 2025].
Treatment
Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. Treatment may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy, often in combination, and sometimes a stem cell transplant. The choice of therapy depends upon the location and grade of the tumor and the stage of the disease, as well as the general state of the patient.
Surgery: In theory, non-hematological cancers can be cured if entirely removed by surgery, but this is not always possible. When the cancer has metastasized to other sites in the body before surgery, complete surgical excision is often impossible.
Radiation therapy: the use of ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy can be given externally via external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or internally via brachytherapy.
Chemotherapy: the treatment of cancer with drugs that can destroy cancer cells. In current usage, the term chemotherapy usually refers to cytotoxic drugs that affect rapidly dividing cells in general, for example by interfering with the duplication of DNA or the separation of newly formed chromosomes.
Targeted therapy and immunotherapy: targeted drugs act on specific genes or proteins that help cancer cells grow, while immunotherapy, such as checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T-cell therapy, helps the immune system find and destroy cancer cells.
Symptoms of Cancer
Cancer symptoms can be generally divided into three groups:
Local symptoms:
- Unusual lumps or swelling (tumor).
- Hemorrhage (bleeding).
- Pain or ulceration.
- Compression of surrounding tissues may cause symptoms such as jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin).
Symptoms of metastasis (spreading):
- Enlarged lymph nodes.
- Cough and hemoptysis (coughing up blood).
- Hepatomegaly (enlarged liver).
- Bone pain.
- Fracture of affected bones.
- Neurological symptoms.
Systemic symptoms:
- Weight loss.
- Poor appetite.
- Fatigue and cachexia (wasting).
- Excessive sweating (night sweats).
- Anemia and specific paraneoplastic phenomena, that is, specific conditions caused by an active cancer, such as thrombosis or hormonal changes.
Although advanced cancer may cause pain, it is often not the first symptom.
Most Common Cancers
This list of common cancer types includes cancers that are diagnosed with the greatest frequency in the United States, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers:
- Bladder Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Melanoma
- Colon and Rectal Cancer
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Endometrial Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Leukemia
- Thyroid Cancer
Cancer Survival
In the United States, the five-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined reached 70 percent for people diagnosed from 2015 to 2021. It was 69 percent when the cancer had spread only to nearby tissues or lymph nodes and 35 percent when it had spread to distant parts of the body. Survival has improved most for some of the hardest-to-treat cancers: since the mid-1990s, five-year survival has risen from 7 to 22 percent for liver cancer, from 15 to 28 percent for lung cancer, and from 32 to 62 percent for myeloma [Siegel et al., 2026]. Thyroid, prostate and breast cancers and melanoma have some of the highest survival rates, while pancreatic cancer still has one of the lowest.
Five-year relative survival by cancer type in the United States, all stages combined, for people diagnosed from 2016 to 2022 [National Cancer Institute, 2025]:
| Cancer Type | 5-Year Relative Survival |
|---|---|
| Pancreatic cancer | 13.7% |
| Liver cancer | 21.9% |
| Esophageal cancer | 22.2% |
| Lung cancer | 29.5% |
| Brain and nervous system cancer | 32.9% |
| Stomach cancer | 39.8% |
| Ovarian cancer | 52.0% |
| Laryngeal cancer | 62.5% |
| Colorectal cancer | 65.4% |
| Leukemia | 68.6% |
| Cervical cancer | 68.8% |
| Oral cavity and pharynx cancer | 69.9% |
| Bladder cancer | 79.1% |
| Kidney cancer | 79.2% |
| Uterine cancer | 80.9% |
| Breast cancer (female) | 91.9% |
| Melanoma of the skin | 94.7% |
| Prostate cancer | 98.2% |
| Thyroid cancer | 98.3% |
NOTE: These figures are broad averages that combine all stages and ages together and do not predict the outcome for any individual. Survival depends heavily on the type, stage, and location of the cancer, the patient's overall health, and the treatment received. Always consult a qualified medical professional for guidance specific to your situation.
Cancer Causing Agents: List of Currently Known Human Carcinogens - Disabled World (DW).
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all tumors cancerous?
No, not all tumors are cancerous, as benign tumors like moles and uterine fibroids do not invade surrounding tissue or spread to other parts of the body.
Can children and young people get cancer?
Yes, cancer may affect people at all ages, even fetuses, although the risk for most varieties increases as a person gets older.
What is the difference between a benign and a malignant tumor?
A malignant tumor can invade nearby tissue and spread to distant organs, while a benign tumor does not grow aggressively, invade tissue, or metastasize.
How is cancer usually treated?
Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, with the choice depending on the tumor type, location, and stage.
What causes cancer to develop?
Nearly all cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of cells, arising from carcinogens, infectious agents, DNA replication errors, or inherited faults.
Is cancer always a death sentence?
No, many cancers can be treated and some cured, and certain types have a better prognosis than nonmalignant conditions such as heart failure and stroke.
Which cancer types have the highest five year survival rates?
Thyroid, prostate, and breast cancers and melanoma of the skin are among the types with the highest five year survival rates in the United States, while pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest.
What is immunotherapy for cancer?
Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that helps the immune system find and destroy cancer cells. Examples include checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T-cell therapy, which have improved survival for some cancers such as melanoma and certain blood cancers.
References
- Bray, F., et al. (2024). Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 74(3), 229-263.
- Siegel, R. L., et al. (2026). Cancer statistics, 2026. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
- National Cancer Institute, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. (2025). Cancer stat facts (5-year relative survival, SEER 21, 2016-2022).
- World Health Organization. (2025). Cancer [Fact sheet].
Curated and edited by Ian C. Langtree, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Disabled World. This section is maintained by the Disabled World editorial team. Last updated: