CANCER CELLS
Cancer Cells
What are They?
Cancer describes the disease that results when cellular changes cause
the uncontrolled growth and division of cells. Some types of cancer
cause rapid cell growth, while others cause cells to grow and divide at
a slower rate.
Certain forms of cancer result in visible growths called tumors, while
others, such as leukemia, do not.
Cell death is part of a natural and beneficial phenomenon called
apoptosis.
A cell receives instructions to die so that the body can replace it with a
newer cell that functions better. Cancerous cells lack the components
that instruct them to stop dividing and to die.
As a result, they build up in the body, using
oxygen and
Cancer Cells: Differences With
Normal
Normal body cells have a number Cells
of important features. They can:
reproduce when and where it's needed, stick together in the right
place in the body, self destruct when they become damaged or too
old, become specialized (mature). This means they have a specific
role to perform for example as a muscle cell or red blood cell. Cancer
cells
(1) are grow
They different to normal
in the absencecells in various
of signals ways
telling :
them to grow.
Normal cells only grow when they receive such signals.
(2) They ignore signals that normally tell cells to stop dividing or
to die.
(3) They invade into nearby areas and spread to other areas of
the body through lymph nodes. Normal cells stop growing when
they encounter other cells, and most normal cells do not move
around the body.
(4) They tell blood vessels to grow toward tumors. These blood
(5) They trick the immune system into helping cancer cells stay alive and grow. For instance, some cancer
cells convince immune cells to protect the tumor instead of attacking it.
(6) They accumulate multiple changes in their chromosomes, such as duplications and deletions of
chromosome parts. Some cancer cells have double the normal number of chromosomes.
(7) They rely on different kinds of nutrients than normal cells. In addition, some cancer cells make energy
from nutrients in a different way than most normal cells. This lets cancer cells grow more quickly.
The structures of normal cells and cancer cells
also differ:
Types of Cancer Cells
Of the hundred-plus types of cancer, most are named for the type of cancer cells in which the
disease began. For example:
Carcinomas are cancers that arise in epithelial cells that line body cavities.
Sarcomas are cancers that arise in mesenchymal cells in bones, muscles, blood vessels, and other
tissues.
Leukemias, lymphomas, and myeloma are blood-related cancers that are arise from the bone
marrow or the lymphoid tissues (lymphomas). They are "fed" by nutrients in the bloodstream and
lymph fluid such that they don't need to form tumors.
Sarcomas develop in bones or soft tissues, while carcinomas form in cells that cover internal or
external surfaces in the body, such as the skin.
Carcino
Sarcoma ma
Cells: Cells:
Characteristics of Cancer Cells
(1) Cancer cells don't stick together: They can lose the molecules
on their surface that keep normal cells in the right place. So they
can break away from their neighbors, and travel to other parts of
the body.
(2) Cancer cells don't specialize: Unlike healthy cells, cancer cells
don't carry on maturing or become so specialized. Cells mature so
that they are able to carry out their function in the body. This
process of maturing is called differentiation. In cancer, the cells
often reproduce very quickly and don't have a chance to mature.
Because the cells aren't mature, they don't work properly. And
because they divide quicker than usual, there's a higher chance
that they will pick up more mistakes in their genes. This can
make them even more immature so that they divide and
grow even more quickly.
(3) Cancer cells don't repair themselves or die: Normal cells can
repair themselves if their genes become damaged. This is known
as DNA repair. Cells self destruct if the damage is too bad.
Scientists call this process apoptosis. In cancer cells, the
molecules that decide whether a cell should repair itself are faulty
