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Types of cancer
More than 100 diseases share one name. Here's a clear, calm introduction to the most common types — how they're found, and how they're treated.
The most common cancers, explained simply
"Cancer" is not one disease — it is more than 100, each starting when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. What they share is a name; how they behave, how they're found, and how they're treated can be very different. Start with the type that matters to you.
Breast Cancer
The most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Usually found as a lump or on a screening mammogram. Highly treatable when caught early, with surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, and targeted drugs among the options.
Lung Cancer
Often linked to smoking but also occurs in people who never smoked. Low-dose CT screening for people at high risk can find it early. Targeted therapies and immunotherapy have significantly improved outcomes in recent years.
Prostate Cancer
The most common cancer in men after skin cancer. Many prostate cancers grow slowly; some need only careful monitoring ("active surveillance"), while others are treated with surgery, radiation, or hormone therapy.
Colorectal Cancer
Cancer of the colon or rectum, usually developing from polyps over years — which is why screening colonoscopy is so effective: it can find and remove polyps before they turn into cancer.
Skin Cancer & Melanoma
The most common cancer overall. Basal and squamous cell cancers are rarely dangerous when treated; melanoma is more serious but very curable when caught early. Know your ABCDEs of mole changes.
Blood Cancers
Leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma begin in blood-forming tissue or immune cells rather than a single organ. Treatments include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, CAR T-cell therapy, and stem-cell transplant.
Pancreatic Cancer
Often found late because early symptoms are vague, which makes research into early detection especially important. Treatment usually combines surgery (when possible), chemotherapy, and supportive care.
Gynecologic Cancers
Cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers. Cervical cancer is now largely preventable through HPV vaccination and screening — one of modern medicine's genuine success stories.
Brain & Other Cancers
Brain tumors, bladder, kidney, liver, thyroid, and many rarer cancers each have dedicated specialists and treatment paths. For any type, the National Cancer Institute publishes detailed, trustworthy overviews.
Words you'll hear a lot
A short glossary for the terms that appear in nearly every conversation about cancer.
Stage (I–IV)
Describes how far a cancer has grown or spread. Stage I is small and local; stage IV means it has spread to distant parts of the body. Staging guides treatment — and for many cancers, even later stages now have effective options.
Grade
How abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope, which hints at how quickly they may grow. Low-grade cells look closer to normal and tend to grow slowly.
Metastasis
When cancer cells travel from where they started to another part of the body. A breast cancer that spreads to bone is still breast cancer, and is treated with breast-cancer medicines.
Biopsy
Removing a small sample of tissue so a pathologist can confirm whether cancer is present and identify its exact type — the essential first step before treatment planning.
Biomarker / mutation testing
Tests that look for specific genes or proteins in your tumor (like HER2, EGFR, or KRAS). Results can unlock targeted drugs designed for your cancer's particular biology.
Remission
When signs of cancer shrink (partial remission) or disappear (complete remission). It's the goal of treatment — and a word worth celebrating.