Cancer is a disease of the building blocks (cells) of the body. When cells reproduce they usually do so in a controlled andorderly fashion, if for some reason this process becomes out of control, the cells will continue to divide and develop into a lump, this lump is known as a tumour. Tumours can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body but may cause problems by pressing on surrounding structures. A malignant tumour is made up of cancer cells which left untreated will invade and destroy surrounding tissues. Malignant tumours also have the ability to spread to other parts of the body where they may form another tumour, this is often referred to as a secondary tumour, or metastasis. It is important to understand that there are many different types of cancer, each with its own name and each respond to different forms of treatment. For an overview of cancer in general please click here. NB. This is a USA site with USA statistics. Click here for information on the 'Dumping Syndrome'.