Cancer – Naming

Transcript

Cancers are named after the body part where the bad copy of the photocopy machine first started. So for example, if a bad copy is made in the pancreas and a cell goes rogue and starts to divide out of control, a pancreas tumor will form. Now, if that spreads to another part of the body, let’s say, to the bones, it’s not called bone cancer at that point. It’s still called pancreas cancer. It’s named after the organ where it started. Think of this like the passport that you carry. If you have a United States passport and you travel to Italy, you’re not all of a sudden Italian, you’re a US citizen in Italy. Every cancer cell is carrying a passport from where it first started. And that’s how cancers are named even when they spread.