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ORGANIZATIONS
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). P.O. Box
11210, Shawnee Mission, KS 66207-1210. Telephone: (800)
274-2237 or (913) 906-6000. Website: http://www.aafp.org.
Cambridge Direct Sales, 2801 Salinas Highway, Suite F,
Monterey, CA 93940-6240. Telephone: (800) 4-HEALTH.
Website: http://www.cambridgedietusa.com.
Cambridge Health and Weight Plan, Clare House, Hunter’s
Road, Corby, Northants, NN17 5JE. Telephone: (44)
1536-403344. Website: http://www.cambridge-diet.co.uk.
Partnership for Healthy Weight Management (PHWM), c/o
Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Bureau of Con-
sumer Protection. 601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Room 4302, Washington, DC. 20580. Website: http://
http://www.consumer.gov/weightloss/.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 5600 Fishers
Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Telephone: (888) INFO-
FDA [(888) 463-6332]. Website: http://www.fda.gov.
Rebecca J. Frey, PhDCancer
Definition
Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by
uncontrolled growth of cells in the human body and
the ability of these cells to travel from the original site
and spread to distant sites. Another name for cancer cells
is malignant cells. Diet and nutrition play an important
role in cancer prevention and cancer treatment.Description
By definition, cancer is a disease of the genes. A
gene is a small part of DNA, which is the master mol-
ecule of the cell. Genes make proteins, which serve as the
workhorses of the body’s cells. These proteins allow the
body to carry out all of the many processes that permit
breathing, thinking, moving, and others often taken for
granted.
Throughout people’s lives, the cells in their bodies
are growing, dividing, and replacing themselves.
Many genes produce proteins that are involved in
controlling the processes of cell growth and division.
Any alteration, or mutation, to the DNA molecule can
disrupt the genes and produce faulty proteins. This
causes the cell to become abnormal and lose the
restraints on its growth. The abnormal cell will begin
to divide uncontrollably. The new growth it forms will
be called a tumor or neoplasm. Not all tumors are
cancerous. Those that are cancerous spread to other
parts of the body near the original cancer site or to
distant sites. Cancerous tumors are called malignan-
cies. A tumor that is not cancerous is called benign.
Cancer can occur in anyoneand is the second lead-
ing cause of death in the United States. Although cancer
may be inherited, it also may occur due to certain envi-
ronmental risk factors or behaviors. For example, it is
well known that smoking can lead to lung cancer or that
unprotected sun exposure is a risk factor for skin cancer.
Diet and physical activity also play a role in cancer risk.Demographics
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimated
that almost one and one-half million new cases of
cancer would be diagnosed in 2007 in the United
States. And more than 1,500 people a day were pro-
jected to die of cancer in 2007. Lung cancer remains
the leading cause of cancer deaths among U.S. men
and women.Prostate cancer is the second-leading
cause of cancer deaths among men and breast cancer
is the second-leading cause of death among U.S.
women. Colon and rectal cancer is the third-leadingCancer