Cancer

cancer

group of disorders where certain cells lose the ability to control the rate of mitosis and how many times it occuras

tumours

when a cell loses control of mitosis, a mass of cells can form called a tumour

tumour-suppressor genes

genes that normally slow/stop cell division (or trigger cell death) when somethings wrong

causes of cancer

infectious agents

environmental factors

genetic susceptibilty

infectious agents

some viruses and bacteria are known to cause cancer

e.g HPV virus is a leading cause of cervical cancer

how do infectious agents trigger cancer

altering genes that control cell division

suppressing a person’s immune system which protects the body from cancer

genetic susceptibility

the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene increases the risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer

p53- a tumour suppressor gene and its most commonly mutated tumour suppresor gene in people with cancer

treatments for cancer

surgery

chemotherapy

radiation therapy

immunotherapy

vaccine

non-disease causing dose that produces antibodies against the disease-causing organism

e.g the HPV vaccine prevents cancer