Cancer can be caused by anything that has the potential to cause a normal cell in the body to develop abnormally; some of the general categories of cancer-related or cancer-causing agents include the following: exposure to toxic chemicals or compounds, ionizing radiation, certain pathogens, and human genetics. It is essential to emphasize the fact that the vast majority of people have predisposing factors for cancer and are subjected to substances that can cause cancer at some point in their lives (such as ultraviolet light, secondary cigarette smoke, and X-rays), but that does not mean that they will necessarily develop the disease. In addition, there are a lot of people who have genes that are associated with cancer, but they never get it. There is also a possibility that those who have a family history of cancer will not develop the disease for the same reasons (lack of enough stimulus to make the genes function). In addition, some people may have an increased immune response that can regulate or eliminate cancer cells or cells that have the potential to evolve into cancer cells.

In most cases when many forms of cancer are discovered, they are already in an advanced stage, at which point the treatment options are severely restricted and the outlook is bleak. However early detection of malignancies can significantly improve patients' chances of surviving the disease.

This book's primary purpose is to familiarize the reader with various facets of cancer in a generic sense. As well as directing readers toward additional alternative therapies that are more particular on various prevention and alleviation of cancers.