Cancer results from a change in cell DNA-the molecules that carry the genetic code responsible for guiding the cell and directing the makeup of future cells. There are a number of lifestyle, environmental and hereditary factors that can change a cell's DNA. Commonly known cancer-causing agents include tobacco and tobacco smoke, poor dietary habits leading to obesity, radiation from the sun, radiation from X-rays and other sources, alcohol and chemicals. The HIV virus and other viruses may also increase the risk of cancer.

A small percentage of cancers are hereditary, meaning that patients can inherit genes that make it more likely that cancer will develop. Sutter offers a comprehensive Cancer Risk Program that provides testing to identify whether patients have inherited cancer-related genes, as well as information on steps patients with genetic markers can take to monitor their health and reduce their risk of developing cancer.

It's important to note that inheriting a gene related to a particular cancer or being exposed to the risk factors does not mean you will develop cancer; it simply means that you are at greater risk than someone who does not have the gene or is not exposed to the same factors. Someone who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, for example, is ten times more likely to develop lung cancer than someone who does not smoke.

According to the National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov), use of tobacco products and inhaling second hand smoke remains the leading preventable cause of death in this country. In addition to lung cancer, smoking may also lead to cancer of the larynx, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, kidney and cervix and may increase the likelihood of developing cancers of the stomach, liver, prostate, colon, and rectum. In addition, smoking can cause emphysema, heart disease, high blood pressure and other life-threatening physical conditions.

Types of Cancer
Cancer comes in many forms, depending on the type of tissue in which it develops. The classifications break down into five categories:

• Carcinoma - a tumor that begins in the cells that line the surface of our skin, organs, digestive tract and airways. Because those surfaces are exposed to external agents such as chemicals, solar radiation, smoke and others, carcinomas make up about 80 to 90 percent of all cancers.


• Sarcoma - a tumor that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective tissue.


• Leukemia - cancer of the white blood cells or their precursors that typically begins in the bone marrow and causes abnormal blood cells to move into the bloodstream.


• Lymphoma - cancers that begin in the lymphatic cells (lymphocytes); which are found in lymph nodes and the spleen, as well as other organs such as the breast, brain and stomach.


• Myeloma - cancers that begin in blood plasma cells responsible for producing antibodies.


• Mixed Types - although uncommon, some cancers can stem from a combination of types within the same category or from two or more categories.

Cancers are also labeled by the site where it originates, regardless of where they may spread. Cancer that starts in the breast and spreads to the liver is still called breast cancer.

It's also important to know that many different types of cancer may start in a primary location. Though we many commonly refer to a cancer as lung cancer, it may be small cell lung cancer or one of three types of carcinomas that fall under the category of non-small cell lung cancer. The same is true for most cancers named for the primary site the cancer develops. Leukemia, for example, may be a form of acute (acute lymphoblastic leukemia or acute myelogenous leukemia) or chronic (chronic lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia or hairy cell leukemia). Because each cancer is named depending on the type of cells involved, treatments are designed specifically to address each type. A treatment that is effective to treat one type of leukemia may not prove effective for another.