Cancer

Cells in the body that don’t stop growing when they are supposed to. They can take over healthy cells, making them sick too.

To get an idea of the differences between healthy normal cells and sick cancer cells, let’s think about chocolates.

On the left, our cook is pouring out chocolate. These are “normal cells.” They are the same size and shape. Even their edges look alike.

On the right, another cook is pouring out chocolate. These are “cancer cells.” None of them look right. Each one is very different from the rest. Some are big, and some are small. Each one has a different shape. Even their edges are very different.

This is kind of how it works with normal cells and cancer cells. Normal cells all look alike. Cancer cells are different from each other. They don’t stay where they should either.

Digestive System

Group of special organs that take the food you eat and use it to give you energy to live and grow.

Family Tree

A picture that shows how everyone in your family is related. The lines that connect parents to their kids look like branches, so the picture could look like a tree.

Genes

Contains the instructions for your body, so it knows how and what to grow. Very very tiny, and can only be seen with a really strong microscope.

Hamartomas

Polyps made of normal cells, just not put together in a normal way. This type of polyp has muscle inside of it, which is how doctors know what kind of polyps you have.

Surgery

Sometimes called an operation. Special doctors go inside of the body to fix things or take out things that don’t belong.

Syndrome

How to describe a group of symptoms. It’s like how we’re able to tell if we have a cold or the flu. The things our body does for each, the symptoms we have, are different. Each syndrome is described by symptoms in the same way.

X-ray

Rays that you can’t see but can help you see things inside your body.