INTRODUCTION
TO
CANCER
INDRANIL MODAK
OVERVIEW
The body's system is composed of
trillions of cells. Even though we stop
growing when we become adults, many
of our cells continue to grow and
divide.
Our
bodies constantly replace the
worn-out cells with new cells to stay
healthy.
To do
this , Cells must enter a
"highway" called the cell cycle.
CELL CYCLE
A
cell divides into two identical
daughter cells.
When enough cells have been made to
replace the worn out cells, the cell
leaves the cell cycle and stops dividing.
The cell depends on signals to decide
when to stay in or exit the cell cycle.
Cell cycle is the series of events that takes place in
a cell leading to its division and duplication
Stop and go
The cell's machinery, are two
signals:
The "go" signal to stay in the
cycle and keep dividing
The "stop" signal to stop
dividing and exit the cell
cycle.
"stop" and "go" signals maintain
the correct balance of healthy,
functioning cells in the body.
go
signal
All
these information are
contained in small units
called genes.
Genes are written in a DNA
code which must first be
transcribed and translated
into another language to make
proteins.
These proteins then serve as
signals in the cell to carry out
the work of the genes.
The characteristics of normal cells
They can
Reproduce themselves exactly
Stop reproducing at the right time
Stick together in the right place
Self destruct if they are damaged
Become specialised or 'mature'
How cancer cells are different
They don't die if they move to another part of the body and
Cancer cells don't stop reproducing
Cancer cells don't obey signals from other cells
Cancer cells don't stick together
Cancer cells don't specialise, but stay immature
Cancer cells don't stop reproducing
Unlike normal cells, cancer cells do
not stop reproducing. This
means that a cancer cell will go on
and on and on doubling.
Cancer cells may be able to stop
themselves self destructing. Or they
may self destruct more slowly than
they reproduce, so that their
numbers continue to increase.
Eventually a tumour is formed.
Cancer cells as being
'immortal'
LOSS OF NORMAL GROWTH CONTROL
Cancer arises from a loss of normal growth control.
In normal tissues, the rates of new cell growth and old cell death
are kept in balance.
In cancer, this balance is disrupted.
This disruption can result from uncontrolled cell growth or loss of a
cell's ability to undergo cell suicide by a process called "APOPTOSIS."
Apoptosis, or "cell suicide," is the mechanism by which old or
damaged cells normally self-destruct.
EXAMPLE OF NORMAL GROWTH
Consider the skin: outermost layer
of normal skin -> epidermis.
Cells in the bottom row -> basal
layer, divide just fast enough to
replenish cells that are continuously
being shed from the surface of the
skin.
1 parent cell -> 2 daughter cells
One remains in the basal layer and
retains the capacity to divide.
The other migrates out of the basal layer and loses the capacity to divide.
The number of dividing cells in the basal layer, therefore, stays the same.
BEGINNING OF CANCEROUS GROWTH
During the development of skin
cancer, the normal balance
between cell division and cell loss
is disrupted.
The basal cells now divide faster
than is needed to replenish the
cells being shed from the surface
of the skin.
1
basal cells divides -> 2
newly formed cells will often
retain the capacity to divide,
leading to increase in the total
number of dividing cells.
Cancer cells don't obey signals from other cells
Something in the cancer cells overrides the normal signalling system
This may be because the genes that tell the cell to reproduce keep on
and on sending signals. Or because the genes that normally tell the cell
to stop reproducing have been damaged or lost.
So the cancer cell keeps on doubling, regardless of the damage the extra
cells cause to the part of the body where the cancer is growing.
Cancer cells don't stick together
Cancer cells can lose the molecules on their surface that keep normal
cells in the right place. So they can become detached from their
neighbours.
INVASION & METASTASIS
Invasion refers to the direct migration and penetration by cancer cells
into neighboring tissues.
Metastasis refers to the ability of cancer cells to penetrate into
lymphatic and blood vessels, circulate through the bloodstream, and then
invade normal tissues elsewhere in the body
Cancer cells don't specialise, but stay immature
Unlike normal cells, cancer cells do not carry on maturing once they
have been made. In fact, the cells in a cancer can become even less
mature over time.
With all the reproducing, it is not surprising that more of the genetic
information in the cell can become lost.
So the cells become more and more primitive and tend to reproduce
more quickly and even more haphazardly.
Normal Cells vs. Cancer Cells
Neoplasm or tumor
An abnormal mass of tissue as a result of abnormal growth or division
of cells
Prior to abnormal growth (known as neoplasia), cells often undergo an
abnormal pattern of growth, such as metaplasia or dysplasia
The growth of neoplastic cells exceeds, and usually causes a lump or tumor.
Neoplasms may be
benign,
pre-malignant (carcinoma in situ)
malignant (cancer).
Dysplasia is an abnormal type of
excessive cell proliferation characterized
by loss of normal tissue arrangement
and cell structure.
MALIGNANT vs. BENIGN TUMORS
Depending on invasion and
metastasis, tumors are classified:
(1) benign, (2) malignant.
Benign tumors are tumors that
cannot spread by invasion or
metastasis; hence, they only
grow locally.
Malignant tumors are tumors
that are capable of spreading by
invasion and metastasis. By
definition, the term "cancer"
applies only to malignant
tumors.
CARCINOMA IN SITU
The most severe cases of dysplasia ->
"carcinoma in situ.
Carcinoma in situ refers to an
uncontrolled growth of cells that
remains in the original location.
Carcinoma in situ (CIS) is defined by
the absence of invasion of tumor cells
into the surrounding tissue, usually
before
penetration
through
the basement membrane.
However, carcinoma in situ may develop
into an invasive, metastatic malignancy
and, therefore, is usually removed
surgically, if possible.
TUMOR GRADING
doctors assign a numerical "grade" to most cancers
In this grading system, a low number grade (grade I or II) refers
to cancers with fewer cell abnormalities than those with higher
numbers (grade III, IV)
Some interesting facts
The word Cancer derives from Greek word carkinos which
means a crab.
Three most common childhood cancers are leukemia (34%), brain
tumors (23%), and lymphomas (12%)
Most doctors will refer to CIS as "pre-cancer", not cancer.
Some neoplasms do not form a tumor. These include leukemia.
In origin, metastasis is a Greek word meaning "displacement.
Metastatic cancer has the same name and same type of cancer cells as
the original cancer.
The most common sites of cancer metastasis are, in alphabetical order,
the bone, liver, and lung.
