• Question: How sre cancers formed and how are they found?

    Asked by ethan to Sarah on 25 Mar 2011.
    • Photo: Sarah Thomas

      Sarah Thomas answered on 25 Mar 2011:

      @Cancer is a disease caused by normal cells changing so that they grow in an uncontrolled way. The uncontrolled growth causes a lump called a tumour to form. Every time a new cell grows, the DNA is copied and if there is a mistake made in the copy this can lead to uncontrolled growth and cancer.

      However, being young and healthy, your risk of getting cancer is very low! To keep it that way, don’t excessively sun tan, drink too much or start smoking! And keep yourself healthy by eating well and exercising frequently!

      Cancers are usually found then the tumours get so large they are noticeable, or when they stop your body from being able to work properly. You can see them by xray sometimes or you can get an MRI scan. Once they have found the tumour, the take a small sample of it for testing. This is called a biopsy. Then the patient has to wait 4 weeks for the results.

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