Many different types of cancer exist. Cancer usually begins as a tumor and can spread to other parts of the body. The more common forms of cancer for elderly people include lung cancer, skin cancer, and prostate cancer. Some these types of cancer are listed below.

Be sure to check with your doctor about the numerous other forms of cancer.

Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer refers to any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine; it is located in the pelvis. The most common type of bladder cancer begins in cells lining the inside of the bladder and is called urothelial cell or transitional cell carcinoma (UCC or TCC).

Breast Cancer

No one knows the exact causes of breast cancer, but according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one woman in eight who lives to age 85 will develop breast cancer, and breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 55.

Colon and Rectal Cancer

In the United States, colon or rectal cancer is the fourth-most common cancer in men, after skin, prostate, and lung cancer. It is also the fourth-most common cancer in women, after skin, lung, and breast cancer.

Kidney Cancer (Renal cell carcinoma)

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer arising from the renal tubule. It is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. Initial treatment is surgery. It is notoriously resistant to radiation therapy and chemotherapy, although some cases respond to immunotherapy. The advent of targeted cancer therapies such as sunitinib has vastly improved the outlook for treatment of RCC.

Lung Cancer

Cancers that begin in the lungs are divided into two major types, non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, depending on how the cells look under a microscope. More than 87 percent of lung cancers are smoking-related. However, not all smokers develop lung cancer.

Melanoma

Melanoma is the most serious type of cancer of the skin. Each year in the United States, more than 53,600 people are diagnosed with melanoma. In some parts of the world, especially among Western countries, melanoma is becoming more common every year. In the United States, for example, the percentage of people who develop melanoma has more than doubled in the past 30 years.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) describes a group of cancers arising from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. It is distinct from Hodgkin lymphoma in its pathologic features, epidemiology, common sites of involvement, clinical behavior, and treatment. The non-Hodgkin lymphomas are a diverse group of diseases with varying courses, treatments, and prognoses.

Pancreatic Cancer

Most pancreatic cancers begin in the ducts that carry pancreatic secretions. Cancer of the pancreas may be called pancreatic cancer or carcinoma of the pancreas. A rare type of pancreatic cancer begins in the cells that make insulin and other hormones. Cancer that begins in these cells is called islet cell cancer.

Prostate Cancer

Of all the men who are diagnosed with cancer each year, about one-third have prostate cancer. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and the penis and in front of the rectum. Prostate cancer occurs when cells within the prostate grow abnormally and cause small tumors.

Skin Cancer (Non-melanoma)

The two most common kinds of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma accounts for more than 90 percent of all skin cancers in the United States.

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