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Cancer
Make it clearer
Cancer is not one single disease. It is the name given to many diseases that share the same flaw: abnormal cells that multiply out of control and that, on top of that, push into the neighboring tissue instead of staying where they belong, which is to say they invade.
Those cells can also leave the place where they formed and reach other parts of the body, and that process is called metastasis. That is the difference from a benign tumor, which neither invades nor travels anywhere: it is like a plant that pushes its roots under the neighbor's fence and also drops seeds that sprout in faraway ground, compared with one that stays inside its pot. So not every tumor is cancer, and cancer is not a single disease either.
In brief
Cancer is the name for many diseases in which abnormal cells grow out of control and can invade nearby tissues.
Cancer cells can spread from the place where they formed to other parts of the body. When that happens, the process is called metastasis.
Cancer is not a single disease, and not every tumor is cancer: benign tumors do not invade or spread.
Sources (2)
- National Cancer InstituteWhat Is Cancer?
- National Cancer InstituteDefinition of tumor
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated