Medical Conditions - Cancer Cancer is a general term that encompasses all forms of malignant neoplasms . However they may crowd and thereby disrupt normal function of adjacent tissues. Carcinomas are cancers that arise in epithelial cells. These cells constitute the functioning unit in different organs such as secretory glands, the outer surface of the body, lining of body cavities, and lining of tubes and passageways that lead to the exterior.
Adenocarcinomas are carcinomas of glandular tissues.
A carcinogen is an agent or a process that significantly increases the incidence of malignant neoplasms. The alteration of the cellular genetic material produced by a carcinogen disrupts the regulatory functions that govern replication and longevity of the affected cell. The increased risk among individuals with a first-degree family history of cancer provides strong evidence for the existence of genetically determined factors associated with increased cancer risk.