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How are the forms of cancer classified?

There are over 150 different types of cancer, classified into four major groups:

Carcinomas—Nine out of ten cancers are carcinomas, which affect the skin and skinlike membranes of the internal organs.

Sarcomas—These types of cancer affect the bones, muscles, cartilage, fat, and linings of the lungs, abdomen, heart, central nervous system, and blood vessels.

Leukemias—These types of cancer develop in the blood, bone marrow, and spleen.

Lymphomas—These types of cancer affect the lymphatic system.

Sources: Cancer Free: The Comprehensive Cancer Prevention Program, p. 29; Schneider, Herman. Harper Dictionary of Science in Everyday Language, p. 49.

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