Origins of cancer

• All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life.

• The body is made up of many types of cells.

• These cells grow and divide in a controlled way to produce more cells as they are needed to  keep the body healthy.

• When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.

• However, sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. 

• The genetic material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. 

• When this happens, cells do not die when they should and new cells form when the body does not need them. The extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumor.