Cancer

Cancer

A disease characterized by the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body.

Cell Cycle

The series of events that take place in a cell leading to its division and duplication.

Necrosis

Cell death due to injury or unrepairable damage.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death that occurs as a normal part of an organism's growth or development.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence of a cell, which can affect its division and function.

Carcinogens

Substances or agents that can cause cancer.

Tumors

Masses of cells with no function, can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Metastasis

The spread of cancer cells from one part of the body to another.

Chemotherapy

Treatment that uses drugs to kill or slow down the growth of cancer cells.

Radiation

Treatment that damages the DNA of cancer cells to prevent their division.

Immunotherapy

Treatment that uses vaccines to activate the immune system to attack cancer cells.

Proto-oncogenes

Genes that can mutate into oncogenes and contribute to the development of cancer.

Benign

not cancerous; tumour cells remain at their original site (one of the classifications of tumours)

what causes “mutations”

• viruses

• chemical exposure

• radiation

• cigarette smoke

• age

• pollution

• genetics

characteristics of cancer cells

• do not stop reproducing

• behave independently

• makes exact copies of themselves through mitosis

• do not stick together

• may move to another location of the body

• often have unusual numbers of chromosomes or mutations

characteristics of normal cells

• reproduces for about 50-60 divisions

• self destructs when too old or too damaged

• makes exact copies of themselves through mitosis

what does surgery do when used as a cancer treatment?

it physically removes cancer (works best with benign tumours)

angiogenesis

a signal for new blood vessels to generate and feed the tumour so it can spread

what is the advantages of radiation treatment

• targeted therapy

• non-invasive procedure

• minimal side effects

• ability to preserve surrounding healthy tissues.

how does cancer cause death?

• starve out the normal cells by taking all the nutrients and oxygen

• interfere with the healthy cells so they can’t do their job

• by increasing pressure on sensitive organs