Types of Cancer

There are more than 100 types of cancer. All cancer begins as abnormal cell growth. These cells may divide and spread (metastasize) to other parts of your body. The abnormal cells often form a mass in your body called a tumor. Not all tumors are cancerous. Benign tumors are not cancerous and don’t spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors are cancerous and may spread. Some cancers, like leukemia, are a cancer of bone marrow and blood and do not form tumors. Oncology is the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

At Inova Health System, we diagnose and treat many types of cancer. Here are some of the types of cancer most frequently treated by Inova cancer specialists.