Cancer in the US Today
The statistics around cancer are sobering. About 1 in 4 deaths in the United States is cancer-related, with more than 1,600 people dying from cancer every day. The lifetime risk is significant—1 in 3 men and 1 in 2 women will develop some form of cancer during their lives.
Cancer begins when cells start growing out of control, forming a mass called a tumor. Unlike normal cells that work together to keep your body functioning, cancer cells are selfish—they grow without responding to the normal controls that regulate healthy cell growth and division.
What makes cancer particularly challenging is that these cells are still your own cells, making them difficult to target without harming healthy tissue. This is why cancer treatments often have side effects—they can't always distinguish between cancerous and normal cells.
Did you know? Cancer isn't just one disease—there are hundreds of different types, each with unique characteristics, though they all share certain common traits called "hallmarks of cancer."
