ABSTRACT
Tumors and cancers are insidious diseases that result from uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or more parts of the body. There is a burgeoning interest from health professionals and the general public in learning about tumor and cancer mechanisms, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Because most tumors and cancers cause nonspecific, noncharacteristic clinical signs, a variety of procedures and tests are employed for their diagnosis. The outcomes of tumor and cancer treatment include cure (no traces of cancer remain after treatment and the cancer will never come back); remission (the signs and symptoms of cancer are reduced; in a complete remission, all signs and symptoms of cancer disappearing for 5 years or more suggests a cure); and recurrence (a benign or cancerous tumor comes back after surgical removal and adjunctive therapy). Prognosis (or chance of recovery) is usually dependent on the location, type, and grade/stage of tumor, patient's age and health status, and so on.
