Cancer is a general term used to denote malignant neoplasms, but there are also other tumors or neoplasms that are not cancerous (Price et al., 2006).  World Health Organization (WHO) says cancer is an umbrella term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumor and neoplasm. One of the defining features of cancer is the abnormal growth of new cells that grow beyond normal limits, then can invade other parts of the body and spread to other organs. This process is called metastasis. Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer death. Meanwhile, according to National Cancer Institute, Cancer is a term for a disease in which cells divide abnormally without control and can invade surrounding tissues.

Based on data from the Ministry of Health, the most common cancers are breast cancer, cervical cancer, and lung cancer, which have high morbidity and mortality rates. WHO data in 2018 shows that there are 9.6 million deaths caused by cancer worldwide. Lung Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Gastric Cancer, and Liver Cancer are most common in men. Meanwhile, the most common cancers in women are breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, and stomach cancer.

Cancer is caused by various factors, so it can be said that the causes of cancer are multifactorial, including genetic factors, external factors such as chemical and biological age that increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer, and gender also affects the type of cancer. For this reason, it is important for us to recognize ourselves so that we are more aware of the early symptoms of the disease, carry out periodic examinations to be able to find cancer at an early stage, and implement a healthy living program.

Myths & Facts
1. Myths say that cancer is contagious, in fact cancer is not contagious but some cancers are caused by bacteria and viruses, such as HPV virus can cause cervical cancer, Hepatitis B and C virus can cause liver cancer, H.pylori bacteria can cause stomach cancer.
2. Cancer runs in families. It is a fact that the risk of developing cancer will increase if a family member has cancer, but the risk of cancer can be reduced with a healthy lifestyle.
3. It is a myth that consuming sugar will accelerate the growth of cancer cells. In fact, there is no medical research that sugar fuels cancer cells. Normal cells need sugar to function. High consumption of sugar can cause general health problems.
4. Handphone cause cancer? There is no research that firmly connects the facts of using handphone and cancer. Usage handphone excess can cause health problems.
5. It is a myth that cancer can be treated with herbal therapies, but in fact a long clinical research is needed to declare a substance has medicinal properties (phytopharmaca).
6. Tobacco causes cancer. Research proves the use of tobacco both in cigarettes and chewing tobacco is the cause of gene changes that trigger various types of cancer (lung cancer, oral cancer, tongue cancer, esophageal cancer, etc.).