According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is America's second leading cause of death. Cancer attacks half of all men and about a third of all women. This ravaging disease occurs when good cells in the body for some reason go bad.

While cancer seems like the major threat to ward off in America, which would have the biggest impact, finding a cure for cancer or finding a cure for mental illness? Would you believe that more Americans are diagnosed with mental illness than with cancer. At this time more researchers are working on cures for cancer in all its various forms.

Which cancer do you think occurs most often in the United States? Breast cancer has a high rate of occurrence and gets a lot of press coverage. But skin cancer has the highest number of victims today. Surprisingly, nearly half of all cancers diagnosed involve non-melanoma related skin cancer. According a study by the American Cancer Society, the most prevalent cancers today after skin cancer and breast cancer are:
- Prostate cancer
- Colon and rectal cancer
- Endometriosis cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Leukemia
- Lung cancer
- Melanoma
- Pancreatic cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Thyroid cancer

Where does cancer come from? Is cancer a genetic disease or does it come from the environment? Researchers believe that the tendency to develop many cancers is programmed into the genes but it takes an environmental trigger to start the cancer process. People who never smoke may never know if they have a predisposition to lung cancer. This is why it is important to avoid cancer-causing situations.

What actually happens to a cancerous cell? A cell is programmed to behave in certain ways. Think of the cell as a toy that can be turned on and shut off at certain times in its life span. Sometimes, the toy won't shut down and starts to carry on duties that it shouldn't. The toy may even start to replicate itself and take over the playroom. This is close to what happens with certain cancerous cells that continually divide and replicate until what is known as a tumor forms.

As cancer cells multiply they can then attach to other organs of the body. A new tumor can form and without treatment, cancer can infect the entire body.

The sooner a cancer is found, the better are the chances of stopping it because there are fewer cancer cells to kill. Of course, the best way to stop cancer is never to get it
in the first place. This is why it is safest to take the precautions that are recommended to avoid cancer, like not smoking and using sunscreen. If a person does get
cancer, surgery is performed to remove the tumor. After any tumors are removed, chemotherapy and radiation treatments kill off any remaining cancer cells.

If you have risk factors for cancer, think about changing your habits. For more information about cancer go online to the American Cancer Society web site.