Also included in this publication is a list of resources for additional information. This publication was written by Linda C. Batiste, M.S., and Beth A. Loy, Ph.D., Human Factors Consultants with the Job Accommodation Network. The following information regarding cancer was edited from several sources, including many of the resources listed in the resource section of this publication and especially the American Cancer Society. The information is not intended to be medical advice. If medical advice is needed, appropriate medical professionals should be consulted.
Cancer is a group of many related diseases.
Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person s life, normal cells divide more rapidly until the person becomes an adult. Then normal cells divide only to replace dying cells and to repair injuries. Cancer cells, however, continue to grow and divide, spreading to other parts of the body and accumulating to form tumors that destroy normal tissue. In their new location, the cancer cells continue growing and spread to a new site, metastasis.