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Plain-language explanations based on National Cancer Institute resources · Educational only, not medical advice · How we verify

Cancer ExplainedSearch

I want to understand cancer.

A grounding tour of what cancer is, what causes it, and how it's found and prevented.

For: Anyone learning about cancer

  1. What Is Cancer?

    The essential starting point.

    8 min read

  2. What Causes Cancer? Understanding Risk Factors

    What can lead to cancer.

    6 min read

  3. Metastatic Cancer: When Cancer Spreads

    What it means when cancer spreads.

    6 min read

  4. Cancer Screening: An Overview

    How cancer can be found early.

    7 min read

  5. Cancer Prevention: An Overview

    Steps that may lower cancer risk.

    7 min read

Review quiz

A short 5-question review drawn from the articles in this path. Check your answers, see your score, and retry as often as you like.

0 of 5 answered

  1. Q1.According to this article, what is cancer?
  2. Q2.According to this article, what is a risk factor?
  3. Q3.According to this article, what is metastatic cancer?
  4. Q4.According to this article, what does cancer screening mean?
  5. Q5.According to this article, what is cancer prevention?

This quiz checks understanding of educational content only. It is not medical advice.

This path is educational only and is not a substitute for guidance from your healthcare team. Bring your questions to your next appointment — there are suggested questions at the end of every article.