There are many different types of cancer. Several factors, including location and how the cancerous cells appear under the microscope, determine how cancer is diagnosed. For example, there are several forms of breast cancer, classified according to where the tumors originate within the breast, and their tendency to invade surrounding organs and tissue. All cancers, however, fall into one of four broad categories: Carcinomas are tumors that arise in the tissues that line the body’s organs. About 80% of all cancer cases are carcinomas.
Sarcomas are tumors that originate in bone, muscle, cartilage, fibrous tissue or fat. Leukemia’s are cancers of the blood or blood-forming organs. Lymphomas affect the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and nodes that acts as the body’s filter. The lymphatic system distributes nutrients to blood and tissue, and prevents bacteria and other foreign “invaders” from entering the bloodstream. There are over 20 types of lymphoma. Some of the main cancers are… Bladder Cancer: Cancer that forms in tissues of the bladder (the organ that stores urine).
Most bladder cancers are transitional cell carcinomas (cancer that begins in cells that normally make up the inner lining of the bladder). Other types include squamous cell carcinoma (cancer that begins in thin, flat cells) and adenocarcinoma (cancer that begins in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids). The cells that form squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma develop in the inner lining of the bladder as a result of chronic irritation and inflammation. Breast Cancer: Cancer that forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk).
It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare. From 2000-2004, the median age at death for cancer of the breast was 69 years of age. Approximately 0. 0% died under age 20; 1. 1% between 20 and 34; 6. 5% between 35 and 44; 15. 3% between 45 and 54; 19. 0% between 55 and 64; 20. 4% between 65 and 74; 23. 0% between 75 and 84; and 14. 6% 85+ years of age. In the United States, breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Each year, a small number of men are also diagnosed with or die from breast cancer.
Although the breast cancer diagnosis rate has increased since the early 1990s, the overall breast cancer death rate has dropped steadily. The incidence of breast cancer is highest in whites, but African Americans have higher mortality rates than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. The gap in mortality between African Americans and whites is wider now than it was in the early 1990s. Colon and Rectal Cancer: Cancer that forms in the tissues of the colon (the longest part of the large intestine). Most colon cancers are adenocarcinomas (cancers that begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids).
Rectal cancer: Cancer that forms in the tissues of the rectum (the last several inches of the large intestine before the anus). Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and women in the United States. Over the past decade, colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates have decreased in all populations except American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Until age 50, men and women have similar incidence and mortality rates; after age 50, men are more vulnerable.