Cancer is a disease in which the normal cells of the body begin to grow in an unregulated way. The abnormal growth of these cells leads to many health problems depending on the body part that is affected. Any cell in the body can get afflicted with cancer.

There is no certain way of knowing the type of cancer that may affect a person. While certain cancers occur more frequently in certain age groups, some cancers are related to unhealthy lifestyles (e.g. smoking, diet and insufficient exercise). Again, infections are the cause of certain types of cancers (e.g. hepatitis B is linked to liver cancers and the Human Papilloma virus is linked to cervical cancer), while some cancers can be caused due to genetic factors (some families may have a high incidence of certain cancers, such as breast or ovarian cancer).But what exactly causes cancer is still a matter of much debate.

Very few people have correct information about cancer, its prevention and treatment. This lack of complete information has hampered the spread of awareness and limited the discussion about various facets of this disease. Many cancers are completely curable and some cancers are preventable. But the positive fact is that screening for various types of cancer is available, and timely screening and detection can lead to cure in many cases.