When most people talk about cancer, they talk about it as if it’s a singular, monolithic type of disease. This is partially understandable, because all types of cancer fall under the same big umbrella, and of course, we all use a singular word to refer to all of them.
That said, the reality is there are hundreds of different types of cancer, and even more subtypes within those categories. Why are there so many types of cancer, and are these distinctions truly relevant?
The Many Types of Cancer
It’s tempting to think of cancer like we think of other diseases. For example, we refer to influenza as a singular disease because there’s a singular type of virus responsible for it, although there are different strains that offer slightly different varieties. But cancer is a bit different.
Cancer is the term we apply to an entire group of different diseases that all have a handful of characteristics in common. They all feature abnormal cells in the body, which unlike healthy cells, grow and spread uncontrollably. Cancer cells in all types of cancer typically invade nearby healthy tissues and gradually spread throughout the body. Given enough time and territory in the body, these cancer cells can shut down vital systems of operation and interfere with the processes necessary for us to live normal, healthy lives.
Within the large umbrella of cancer are cancers that affect different areas of the body, cancers that grow and spread in different patterns, and cancers with different origin points. For example, mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops exclusively as a result of exposure to a carcinogenic material known as asbestos. Asbestos is unique because it comprises millions of tiny fibers, which if inhaled or ingested, can wedge themselves into the mesothelial lining of your organs and create cancer-causing inflammation. Even within the category of mesothelioma, there are subtypes, such as pleural mesothelioma.
As you might imagine, most types of cancer share many similarities, including how they’re identified, how they grow, and how they can be treated. But each type and subtype of cancer has a handful of unique qualities that must be considered in identification and treatment.
Possible Explanations
Why is it that there are so many types of cancer in the first place?
- An overly broad category. If there are 200 different types of cancer, it could be that “cancer” itself is an overly broad category. Many decades ago, when scientists and researchers barely understood this complex and multifaceted disease, it probably made sense to categorize examples this way. But now that we have a much more refined understanding of how these individual diseases develop, manifest, and spread, it might be time to update our terminology. A compelling counterpoint to this is that we already have very specific terminology for different types of cancer; oncologists and other medical professionals are unlikely to refer to specialized varieties of cancer simply as “cancer.” In this way, this is really a problem of public perception.
- Genetic mutations. In many cases, cancer emerges because of cell mutations triggered by specific genetic sequences. These mutations come in many varieties, and may not affect different individuals in the same ways.
- Body parts affected. Cancers also emerge and behave differently in different parts of the body. Breast cancer and pancreatic cancer, for example, function very differently and must be treated very differently. Given that there are so many body parts that are potentially vulnerable to cancer, it only makes sense that there are a similar number of cancer varieties.
- Environmental exposures. Similarly, cancer can emerge as a result of exposure to many different types of environmental hazards. Hazards are carcinogenic for different reasons; it may be because of their physical or chemical properties, or because of how they damage cells in the body. Accordingly, cancers emerging from different sources have very different qualities.
- Growth and spread patterns. Some types of cancer are relatively benign, as they aren’t subject to grow or spread aggressively. Others are considered very deadly because of how quickly and rampantly they can grow throughout the body.
- Treatment potential. Different types of cancer respond differently to various forms of treatment as well. If we’re going to get better at treating cancer as a monolithic entity, we need to understand how individual variations of cancer respond to different types of treatment.
The Bottom Line
Cancer is a big, multifaceted disease and possibly something that shouldn’t even be referred to as one collective category. There are hundreds of different types and subtypes of cancer with different qualities and considerations, and we must consider them as unique examples if we’re going to understand them and treat them effectively.
