Some cancers are grouped based on the cell, tissue, or body region where they start.
Others types of cancer are described by their genetic profile, tumor grade, or cancer stage.
Primary vs. Metastatic
Primary cancerrefers to the original tumor in the body.
Verywell / Laura Porter
That definition is pretty straightforward.
Instead, it would be referred to as primary breast cancer metastatic to the lungs.
A diagnosis of “invasive” cancer does not mean that your cancer has spread.
You may also hear the termsecondary cancer.
Cancer detected at this early, pre-invasive stage has an excellent prognosis.
Examples of sarcomas include:
What’s In a Name?
Plasma cells are the cells that manufacture antibodies.
Leukemias
Leukemiasare cancers of the blood cells, and they originate in the bone marrow.
Lymphomas
Lymphomasare a throw in of cancer that arises from cells of the immune system.
These cancers may arise in lymph nodes or fromextranodal sitessuch as the spleen, stomach, or testicles.
These are broken down into:
Blood-Related vs.
Solid Cancer Types
Cancers may also be referred to as “solid” or blood-related cancers.
Blood-related cancers include leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas, while solid cancers include all others.
Cancer cells differ from normal cells in many ways, one of which is referred to as differentiation.
Some cancers can look very much like the normal cells in which they originate.
They are called well-differentiated tumors.
Others may bear little resemblance to normal cells.
You may see them described as undifferentiated on a pathology report.
In addition to this, most tumors are heterogeneous.
On a pathology report, this is calledadenosquamous features.
Blastomas are a bang out that is sometimes separated out from the rest.
Overall, however, the incidence of brain cancer has been increasing in recent years.
In the past, these cancers were most commonly seen in people who were both heavy drinkers and smokers.
Approximately 1 in 100 breast cancers occur in men.The most common key in of breast cancer is ductal carcinoma.
Since most breast cancers are carcinomas, they may sometimes be detected before they have become invasive.
This is considered carcinoma in situ, or stage 0 breast cancer.
Breast cancer stages 1 through 4 are invasive stages of the disease.
In fact, lung cancer in these individuals is the sixth-leading cause ofcancer deathsin the United States.
Lung cancer rates are decreasing overall, likely related to a decrease in smoking.
But they are increasing in young adults, especially young, never-smoking women.
The reason is not understood and remains under study at this time.
This system also includes structures such as the prostate gland.
Types include:
Reproductive System Cancers
Reproductive organ cancers may occur in men and women.
Most endocrine cancers, with the exception of thyroid cancer, are fairly rare.
Blood-related cancers are the most common cancers in children.
They include:
Skin Cancers
Skin cancersare often separated into two primary groups: melanoma and non-melanoma.
While non-melanoma skin cancers are much more common, melanomas are responsible for most skin cancer deaths.
The treatments for, and survival from, cancer have been improving in recent years, too.
Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about a specific cancer.
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