For example, if someone discovers they have breast cancer or cancer in the liver or something, does that mean that they always had cancer but it was not able to be detected until they discovered they had it? Or is that something that is formed later, and wasn’t always in that person’s body?
In: Biology
There are many different causes of cancer. Cancer isn’t a single disease with a single cause. Just like you might have a sore throat because of a virus (like a cold), or from yelling at concert, or from bacteria.
Cancer can occur due to chemicals you are exposed to (carcinogens) like tobacco smoke. It can be caused by radiation like sun burns leading to skin cancer. Cancer can be caused by a virus like some cervical cancers. Some cancers can be genetic meaning that the tendency is in you from your birth or due to some mutation (change in your genes) during your life (radiation can cause these mutations). It may get triggered very young (childhood cancers) or you might live your whole life with the genes that give you a greater chance of getting cancer but you never actually get cancer.
So cancers that are caused by chemicals aren’t in you your whole life. Cancers caused by radiation aren’t in you your whole life. (I’m ruling out that you were exposed to the radiation or chemicals while you were in your mother’s womb). Cancers that occur to viruses aren’t in you your whole life. Cancers that occur due to a genetic mutation (that wasn’t in your genes at birth) aren’t in you your whole life. You might be born with genes that give you a greater than average chance of getting some types of cancers. You might be born with some very rare cancers.
This is a very long way to say, “well, it depends”. Hope this helps. 🙂
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