Index >>Viruses and Cancer >>Types of Cancer

Types of Cancer - Cancer is not one single disease but a complex of many diseases.
About two hundred distinct types of cancer have been recognized.
These can be grouped into four main types: carcinomas, sarcomas, lymphomas and leukemias
1. Carcinomas - are tumours made up principally of epithelial cells of ectodermal or endodermal origin.
The solid tumours in nerve tissue and in tissues of body surfaces, or their attached glands, are examples of carcinomas.
These include cervical, breast, skin and, brain carcinomas. About 85 per cent of cancers are carcinomas.

4. Leukemias are neoplastic growths of leucocytes (W. B. C) and are characterized by excessive production of the cells.
They constitute about 4 per cent of human cancers.
In addition to the types of cancer mentioned above, there  may be mixed malignant tumours, e. g. tumours arising from both ectodermal and mesodermal tissues.