Throughout our lives healthy cells in our bodies divide and replace themselves in a very controlled fashion.
Cancer starts when a cell is somehow altered so that it multiplies out of control.
Benign, or non-cancerous tumors, stop growing and do not spread to other parts of the body and do not create new tumors. Malignant, or cancerous tumors, crowd out healthy cells, interfere with body functions, and draw nutrients from body tissues. Cancer continues to grow and spread in a process called metastasis - eventually forming new tumors in other parts of the body. The term 'cancer' encompasses more than 100 diseases affecting nearly every part of the body, and all are potentially life threatening. ASK JUDY a question by email .