Common Types of Cancer

Published On 01/18/2013

Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start—for example, cancer that begins in the lungs is called lung cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.

Use our physician locator to find a Methodist-affiliated doctor for more information about your personal diagnosis and treatment options.


  • Bone Cancer

    Experts at our Cancer Center treat Bone Cancers like chondrosarcoma.

  • Breast Cancer

    Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and may be found in any woman or man.

  • Kidney Cancer

    Kidney cancer is relatively resistant to radiation and chemotherapy, so minimally invasive kidney surgery is the preferred treatment option.

  • Ovarian Cancer

    Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common form of cancer among women.

  • Prostate Cancer

    Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, excluding skin cancer.

  • Spine Tumors

    Experts at the Neuroscience Institute at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, TN, specialize in treating spine tumors.

  • Brain Tumors

    Experts at the Neuroscience Institute at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, TN, treat brain tumors, spine tumors and other neurological disorders.

  • Cancers of the Head & Neck

    Cancers of the Head & Neck include laryngeal, pharyngeal, nasal & paranasal sinus, thyroid, parathyroid and oral cancers.

  • Lung Cancer

    Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women; in fact it kills more people than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined.

  • Pancreatic Cancer

    Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in men and women in the US.

  • Skin Cancer

    In the US alone, more than 1 million Americans will be diagnosed in 2009 with nonmelanoma skin cancer, and 68,720 will be diagnosed with melanoma, according to the American Cancer Society.