Cancer is when cells in particular part of your body grow and multiply in an uncontrolled way. These cells can sometimes spread into other tissues of the body – this is known as metastasis.

When you’re diagnosed with cancer, your doctor will stage it to assess how large it is and how far it has grown. There are many different staging systems, however a common method is the number system:

• Stage 0 – the cancer is contained where it started and hasn’t spread
• Stage 1 – the cancer is small and hasn’t spread
• Stage 2 – the cancer has grown but it hasn’t spread
• Stage 3 – the cancer is large and may have spread to the surrounding lymph nodes or nearby tissues
• Stage 4 – the cancer has spread to at least one other organ – this is known as metastatic cancer

The grade indicates how fast the cancer is growing. This is judged by what is looks like under a microscope and how different it looks from a normal cell. The most common grading system is:

• Grade 1 – the cancer cells look like normal cells and aren’t growing quickly
• Grade 2 – the cancer cells don’t look like normal cells and are growing faster than normal cells
• Grade 3 – the cancer cells look abnormal and grow quickly, potentially spreading to other tissues more easily

We personalise care for you and your condition so it’s often a combination of therapies.

The main approaches to cancer care are:

• Early detection and diagnosis is critical so cancers can be identified before they have spread elsewhere in the body and more easily treated
• Surgery to remove tumours (at our partner hospitals)
• Radiotherapy to target and destroy cancer cells and some difficult-to-reach tumours
• Chemotherapy – a wide range of drug therapies that destroy specific cancer cells

New approaches include nuclear medicine and Theranostics – using radioactive substances to detect and treat cancers, often in a highly targeted way.

Alongside these treatments we also provide supportive care including wellbeing therapies and exercise medicine for all patients at many of our centres. Wellbeing therapies, including acupuncture, massage and counselling, are delivered through our partner the Penny Brohn UK charity to help support you through this challenging time. Exercise medicine is effective in improving treatment tolerance, building muscle mass and reducing cancer-related fatigue, among many other health-related benefits.

There are 200 different kinds of cancer. The major types are carcinoma, leukaemia, lymphoma, melanoma and sarcoma.

• Carcinomas

The most commonly diagnosed cancers. They originate in organs and glands such as the skin, lungs, breasts and pancreas.

• Leukaemia

Cancer of the blood, which does not usually form solid tumours.

• Lymphomas

These are cancers of the lymphocytes (white blood cells).

• Melanomas

Cancers arising in cells that make pigment in skin.

• Sarcomas

These cancers originate in fat, blood vessels, bone, muscle, cartilage and other soft or connective tissues of the body. Sarcomas are relatively uncommon.

There are three different types of tumour: benign, premalignant and malignant.

• Benign

These are not cancerous. They either grow or spread very slowly, or not at all. If removed they generally do not return.

• Premalignant

The cells in these tumours are not yet cancerous but have the potential to become malignant.

• Malignant

Cancerous tumours. The cells of malignant tumours can grow and spread to other parts of the body.

Any changes to your body’s usual processes or unexplained symptoms can sometimes be a sign of cancer and should be investigated by a doctor. In many cases, the cause won’t be cancer and may be due to other conditions.

Some common signs and symptoms are below, but this is not an exhaustive list. If you notice anything different about your body or anything that isn’t going away, it’s important to get it checked – don’t assume it’s due to natural aging or another condition you may have.

• A lump anywhere in your body
• Changes in bowel habits that have lasted for more than a few weeks – diarrhoea, constipation, blood in your stools, pain, bloating or not feeling like you’ve fully emptied your bowels after going to the toilet
• Unexplained bleeding – in your urine, in your stools or from your bottom, when you cough, in vomit or between periods
• Unexplained weight loss that can’t be explained by diet, exercise or stress
• Moles – can be a sign of some skin cancers
• A persistent cough for more than three weeks ­– shortness of breath and chest pain can also be a sign but are also a sign of an infection, such as pneumonia, and should be investigated by a doctor straight away

Many cancers develop with no exact cause and a most likely due to a combination of factors. There are risk factors that can increase your chance of developing a cancer.

There are lifestyle risk factors that can be avoided or adjusted to reduce your risk:

• Drinking too much alcohol
• Being overweight or obese
• Poor diet
• Lack of exercise
• Smoking
• Sun and UV tanning

Some things you can’t control such as aging or a family history of certain cancers can increase your risk.

Other risk factors include:

• Workplace or environmental factors – asbestos, certain industrial chemicals or natural gases
• Having low immunity can make you more at risk to certain cancers
• Some viruses and bacteria are linked to a higher risk of cancer

Different cancers affect your body in different ways, depending where they are growing and how advanced they are. Cancer can cause changes in your body and stop some processes from working as well as they should.

• Blood system – some cancers can change the number of blood cells circulating in the blood
• Lymphatic system – cancer cells can get trapped in lymph nodes near the cancer and begin to grow there
• Immune system – some cancers can weaken the immune system
• Hormone system – some cancers can effect the level of hormones in the body causing symptoms