When beginning to learn about cancer clusters it is important to know the facts about cancer itself. Cancer is the growth and spread of abnormal cells in the body and if left untreated it can often result in death. There are more than 100 types of the disease and it can attack any part of the body.
One out of every four adult deaths in the United States can be traced to some form of cancer and according to the National Institute of Health over 1,437,180 new cases of cancer are projected to occur in the United States in 2008.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in children between the ages of one and 14 and more than 8,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed this year.
The most common forms of cancer affecting men are lung, stomach, liver, colorectal and esophagus. The most common cancers faced by women are breast, lung, stomach, liver, colorectal and cervical.
Tobacco smoke is the leading cause of cancer and is the single most preventable cause of the disease in the world. It is estimated that over 30% of all cancer could be avoided by not smoking, eating a healthy diet and participating in daily exercise.
Early detection and treatment are critical in the management of cancer and it is estimated that one third of all cases could be cured with early treatment.