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There are more than 200 types of cancer with many possible causes. Genetics, lifestyle choices, infections, or environmental causes are factors that may cause cancer. This can cause cells that were once healthy to uncontrollably multiply.
Learn more about some of the most common types of cancer, prevention, screening options, diagnosis, and possible treatments.
There are two ways to describe breast cancer:
- Invasive, when the cancer extends beyond the wall of the milk duct and into the surrounding tissues
- Non-Invasive, when the cancer does not extend beyond the wall of the milk duct and into the surrounding tissues
Ontario Breast Screening Program
Diagnosis
Diagnosing breast cancer usually begins when you find a lump in your breast or with a screening mammography.
Your doctor will then ask about any symptoms and may do a physical exam. Based on the findings, your doctor may refer you to a specialist.
Testing for breast cancer
Mammography: an X-ray that uses small doses of radiation to make an image of the breast.
Ultrasound: the use of high-frequency sound waves to make an image. It is used to find out if a breast lump is a solid tumour or a cyst.
Biopsy: there are several types of biopsies that may be used to help diagnose.
Hormone receptor status testing: estrogen and progesterone are hormones that can stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells.
HER2 status testing: HER2 stands for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, which is a gene that has changed and helps a tumour grow.
Other tests can also include lab work, magnetic resonance imaging, bone scans, and X-rays.
Treatment types
There are several types of breast cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy, depending on the stage of the cancer.
Radiation: external beam radiation therapy is given after breast-conserving surgery. All of the breast, muscles of the chest, lymph nodes under the arm, and around the collarbone are treated.
Hormonal therapy: always offered for hormone receptor-positive stage three breast cancer. Hormonal therapy for post-menopausal women with stage three breast cancer includes tamoxifen (an anti-estrogen) and aromatise inhibitors.
Targeted therapy: targeted therapy targets the molecules that send signals for the cancer to grow or divide. The drug blocks their signals to stop the growth and spread.
Treatments for Breast Cancer
- Treatments for stage zero breast cancer
- Treatments for stage one breast cancer
- Treatments for stage two breast cancer
- Treatments for stage three breast cancer
- Treatments for stage four breast cancer
Survivorship
Follow-up care after completing cancer treatment is important to help maintain good health. At the end of treatment, you may have mixed feelings, such a relief, anger, sadness, or feeling lost.
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The lungs, which are organs in the chest, take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide from the body.
There are two main types of lung cancer:
- Non-small cell
- Small cell
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The prostate, which is a small gland in the male reproductive system, produces semen. It is located below the bladder in front of the rectum.
The most common type of prostate cancer is adenocarcinoma.
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Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. Melanoma is responsible for making pigmentation of the skin called melanin. The leading cause of melanoma is overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or artificial sources such as tanning beds.
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The large intestine consists of the colon and rectum. It is part of the digestive system. The colon absorbs extra water from your stool and the rectum pushes the stool out of the body.
Colon cancer can form in any party of the colon. Rectal cancer can form in the rectum.
Small growths, also known as polyps, start in the lining of the inside of the colon or rectum and can turn into cancer over time. These are also known as pre-cancerous polyps.
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Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a blood cancer of the lymphatic system. This system helps your immune system fight infections.
The other main type of lymphoma is Hodgkin lymphoma, which is less common.
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The pancreas is part of the digestive and hormonal system and helps to break down food. Pancreatic cancer starts in the cells of the pancreas.
There are several types of pancreatic cancer:
- Ductal adenocarcinoma
- Adenosquamous carcinoma
- Pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma
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The kidneys, which are located on either side of the spine, are responsible for filtering water and waste from the blood to make urine.
Kidney cancer starts in the cells of the kidney.
There are several types:
- Renal cell carcinoma
- Renal sarcoma
- Primary renal lymphoma
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The bladder is part of the urinary system and stores urine before it passes out of the body. Cancer starts in the lining of the bladder called the urothelium.
The most common type of bladder cancer is urothelial carcinoma.
There are two ways to describe bladder cancer:
- Invasive, when the cancer spreads into the tissue or muscle in the wall of the bladder
- Non-invasive, when the cancer has not spread beyond the urothelium
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The ovaries are a pair of oval-shaped organs and part of the female reproductive system.
Ovarian cancer starts in the cells of the ovary.
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Cervical cancer starts in the cells of the cervix. The cervix is part of the female reproductive system.
The most common cause of cervical cancer is human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted virus.
There are two types of cervical cancer:
- The most common is squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, which starts in the cells that line the outside of the cervix
- Adenocarcinoma of the cervix, which starts in the glandular cells that line the inside of the cervix
- Glandular cells make mucus and other fluids
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Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are fairly rare cancers. They start in a person’s neuroendocrine cell, which can be found throughout the body. These cancers have different names based on the place in the body where they develop. Some examples would be: lung NETs, pancreatic NETs, and gastrointestinal NETs.
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