Cancer, which is a fairly broad term, refers to the condition wherein abnormal cells grow and divide uncontrollably. While some types of cancer could lead to rapid growth in the cells, some might result in slow growth and division. In most cases of this disease, one can see the growth of cells in the form of tumors, while in others like leukemia, the growth is not visible.

Let us look at some of the causes of cancer and procedures for its diagnosis.

Causes of cancer
Accumulated damage to genes causes cancer. This damage may be due to exposure to carcinogenic substances, that are toxic for the body. A carcinogen can refer to certain chemical substances, like molecules that are found in tobacco smoke. Cancer may also be caused due to environmental, genetic, or viral factors.

Some of the commonly known factors that lead to cancer include:

• Tobacco smoking: Lung cancer, which is one of the most common cancers, is caused by smoking. In addition, there are other types of cancer like oral cancer, and cancer of the bladder, cervix, esophagus, and larynx, that can also be caused due to smoking. Thus, the biggest advice to avoid any kind of cancer is to quit smoking.
• Chemicals: It has been noted that people who have an occupation that involves being exposed to cancerous chemicals have a greater chance of developing the disease. Those working in chemical industries often are at a higher risk of testing positive for it.
• Ionizing radiation: Ionizing radiation has been related to cancer, although a correlation has not been established regarding the exact amount of radiation and the extent to which the disease’s development can be attributed to it.
• Virus: HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is one of the many viruses that can severely harm a person’s well-being and make them susceptible to cancer. Apart from this, HPV or human papillomavirus is associated with the occurrence of oral cancer, anal cancer, and cervical cancer.
• Sunlight: Skin damage may be caused due to continuous exposure to the sun, leading to skin cancer.

Diagnosis of cancer
Knowing the causes is not enough, one has to be aware of the symptoms also, to make an accurate diagnosis of cancer. While in some cases cancer might be diagnosed in the early stages, in other cases it might not come to light till the very last stage. Commonly, routine tests done at a certain age expose the presence of the disease.

The first steps of diagnosing cancer always involves analyzing the history of symptoms as well as the medical history of the patient. The diagnosis of other health problems may also lead to the diagnosis of cancer as an underlying cause. A medical practitioner will order different tests that determine values of blood count, electrolyte levels, and the like, to determine whether the patient is suffering from cancer. Other tests like MRI scans and CT scans can determine the stage of the disease and whether the cancerous cells have spread to different organs or not. Some biopsy procedures may also be used to diagnose cancer.