Types Of Cancer: Definition, Risks And How They Are Classified
Cancer, unfortunately, is a disease that is talked about very frequently today According to estimates by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), in 2015, 220,000 new cases were diagnosed in Spanish territory.
Likewise, the same institution affirms that the future is alarming, since taking into account the United Nations (UN) forecasts, it is estimated that in 2020, 246,713 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Spain, 97,715 in women and 148,998 in men.
Our bodies are made of millions of trillions of cells, which are so small that they can only be seen through a microscope. These cells are grouped together to form the tissues and organs of our body, and among them we find great diversification as they perform different functions. With this supplementation they cover the vital needs of an organism, such as the maintenance of body structure, nutrition and respiration.
Cancer occurs when normal cells become cancerous, that is, they multiply uncontrollably and invade adjacent organs or tissues.
Types of cancer
Cancer can start anywhere in the body and are named and classified depending on different characteristics. But, What types of cancer are there? Below we explain them to you
A) Types according to their prognosis (benign or malignant)
Although many people think that the word cancer and the term tumor are the same, they are not. Tumors can be benign or malignant. If the tumor is benign, the cells multiply uncontrollably but without spreading to other parts of the body. The benign tumor does not usually represent a risk to the patient’s life, but if not treated in time, it could become a malignant or cancerous tumor.
Malignant tumor or cancer occurs when uncontrolled cells spread to other areas of the body which is called metastasis.
B) Types of cancer according to origin
Depending on their origin, cancers receive specific names. For example:
C) Depending on the type of fabric
The International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O) has been used for almost 25 years and is considered a prognostic and diagnostic tool for coding tumors and cancers.
Taking into account the third edition of this manual, there are six types of cancer:
1. Carcinoma
This is the most common type of cancer, and it originates in the epithelial layer of cells These cells are what line the entire surface of the body as well as the internal structures and cavities. Carcinomas can occur in different parts of the body, for example, the lung, breast, prostate, and colon.
There are different types of carcinomas:
2. Sarcoma
Sarcoma is a malignant tumor of connective tissues which include: muscles, bones, cartilage and fat.
Depending on the origin, there are different subtypes of sarcoma:
3. Myeloma
Myeloma or multiple myeloma is a cancerous tumor that originates in the plasma cells of the bone marrow Normal plasma cells are an important component of the immune system, as it is made up of several types of cells that act together to fight diseases and infections. For example, lymphocytes.
4. Leukemia
Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that affects around 5,000 people in Spain every year Leukemia occurs when certain cells become cancerous, affecting the bone marrow. Although it may seem that leukemia and myeloma (explained in the previous point) are the same, in reality they are not.
Even more doubts may arise when hearing the name of a type of leukemia called myeloid leukemia. Well, multiple myeloma and myeloid leukemia involve different types of cells. Although the cells affected in leukemia are also generated in the bone marrow, these are not plasma cells.
Leukemias can be classified based on different criteria:
5. Lymphoma
If there could be doubts between leukemia and myeloma, the terms lymphoma and leukemia can also be confusing. But leukemia is often called liquid cancer because it affects the blood, instead, Lymphomas are known as solid cancers, since they originate in the lymph nodes
Lymphomas are classified in two ways: Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. These types of lymphomas are different in behavior, spread, and treatment.
6. Mixed types
These cancerous tumors are characterized by the presence of two or more carcinogenic components They are rare and may be caused by a poor prognosis. A mixed type cancer is, for example, carcinosarcoma, a mixture of carcinoma and sarcoma. That is, it is a cancer of the epithelial tissue and at the same time connective, bone, cartilaginous or fatty tissue. However, there are other rare “mixed type cancers”, such as mixed mesodermal tumor, adenosquamous carcinoma or teratocarcinoma.
D) Types according to degree
Depending on the degree of evolution, cancer can be classified into 4 levels The greater the differentiation or abnormality and the greater or lesser speed of evolution, the greater the grade number.
The grades of this classification, proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), “should be considered as degrees of malignancy and not as stages of malignancy, regardless of whether certain grade III or IV tumors are the result of a malignant transformation of a pre-existing tumor,” as explained by this institution. Therefore, according to the grade, the WHO classifies tumors into:
Depending on whether or not they have a circumscribed character
2. High grade and fast growing
Depending on the evolution of the prognosis and the degree of abnormality.
Grade III: Anaplastic foci (poorly differentiated or undifferentiated cells) assign the grade III label to an already existing tumor, that is, it was low grade.
Grade IV: it is the most serious and the undifferentiated cells occupy most or all of the tumor.
