Hurling For Cancer Research Highlights 2024

Cancer is a disease of the cells in our body and is generally named after the organ or cell where the disease starts. For example lung cancer begins in the cells in the lung all the cells in our body are constantly growing dividing dying and being replaced in a controlled way.

Cancer occurs when normal cells grow and change in an abnormal and uncontrolled way when groups of these cancer cells continue to grow. They can form a lump called a tumor doctors can take a biopsy which involves removing some cells from the tumor and looking at them under a microscope to see if they're cancerous or not.

Tumors can be benign or malignant benign means that the tumor is not cancer these tumors can cause problems where they occur but it is unlikely that they will spread to other parts of the body.

Malignant means that the tumor is cancerous malignant tumors can spread to other parts of the body. They can spread by growing into surrounding tissue and organs they can spread through our blood or through our lymphatic system.

Cancer may be described as being primary or secondary. Primary is where the cancer started secondary cancer also called metastasis is cancer that has spread to another part of the body the most common types of cancer for people in Ireland are skin cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and bowel cancer.