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What is a tumor?

Our body is made of cells, tissues, organs, and systems. Cells are the basic units of life. Normally, cells divide to replace older cells that are under our physiologic control. If the cells are dividing unnecessarily in our body that leads to abnormal mass or neoplasm. A tumor (Latin ‘to swell’) is an abnormal proliferation of the cells or mass, which may be solid or fluid filled. This can occur anywhere in our body. Tumors are not useful but rather harmful to our bodies. A tumor can be Benign or Malignant. Malignant tumors are only cancer.

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What is cancer?

Cancer is a group of more than a hundred diseases where the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells has the ability to infiltrate and destroy our normal tissues. Cancer can occur anywhere in the body. Cancer is represented by a crab (in Greek, Karkinos); most likely due to its finger-like projection with a rough surface and its nature of adherence to any part in an obstinate manner.

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Cancer can be classified into:

  1. Solid cancer (Organ cancer): for example; Lung, Breast, Liver, etc.

   2. Liquid cancer (Blood cancer): for example;                 Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma, etc.

               Top 10 Cancer in Nepal

(Total no. of Cancer Cases 20508 in 2020)

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  1. Lung                                        12.2%

  2. Cervix uteri                            10.9%

  3. Breast                                     9.6%

  4. Stomach                                  7.6%

  5. Gallbladder                            4.9%

  6. Lip, Oral cavity                      4.1%

  7. Thyroid                                   3.4%

  8. Colon                                      3.0%

  9. Leukemia                               2.9%

  10. Ovary                                      2.9%

 

Source: GLOBOCAN 2020 Fact Sheets-Nepal 2020

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