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Cancer Info Sheet

Cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell growth and division resulting from mutations that disrupt the normal cell cycle. Cancer cells differ from regular cells in that they spend less time in interphase and more time dividing, do not stop dividing even when not needed, and can metastasize by spreading to other parts of the body. Some causes of cancer include chemicals, UV radiation, viruses, x-rays, and genetics. Tumors are clusters of cancerous cells that can be benign or malignant depending on whether or not the cells spread. If cancer is detected, it may be treated through biopsy to analyze cells, radiation therapy to kill tumor cells, chemotherapy to kill cells systemically, or surgery to remove tumors and reduce spread.

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Renee Meh
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35 views

Cancer Info Sheet

Cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell growth and division resulting from mutations that disrupt the normal cell cycle. Cancer cells differ from regular cells in that they spend less time in interphase and more time dividing, do not stop dividing even when not needed, and can metastasize by spreading to other parts of the body. Some causes of cancer include chemicals, UV radiation, viruses, x-rays, and genetics. Tumors are clusters of cancerous cells that can be benign or malignant depending on whether or not the cells spread. If cancer is detected, it may be treated through biopsy to analyze cells, radiation therapy to kill tumor cells, chemotherapy to kill cells systemically, or surgery to remove tumors and reduce spread.

Uploaded by

Renee Meh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CANCER MITOSIS GONE WRONG!!!

What is Cancer?
o Cancer is the uncontrolled growth and division of cells. Cells will keep growing and
dividing, even if your body does not necessarily need them. This means that there is a
malfunction in the body in knowing when to start and stop mitosis. The cell usually
spends most of its time in interphase and spends a very small amount of time in actual
cell dividing phases. However, cancer cells are in a rapid state of cell division and spend
much more time out of interphase.

How Are Cancer Cells Different Than Regular Cells?


o Cancer cells behave differently than normal functioning cells. This also means that they
likely have different physical characteristics. Cancer cells often have these traits:
They spend less time in interphase therefore they are dividing more!
They have uncontrolled mitosis the means they do not stop division after a
certain point.
They grow faster than normal cells
They can break away from groups of cells and travel to other places in the body.
They have a different physical structure often with parts that allow them to grip
and grab onto other cells and tissues

***Examples of different cancer cells with many gripping structures***

What Are Some Causes of Cancer?


o There are many causes of cancer. All of these things increase the likelihood of cells
becoming mutated. Mutated cells may not be normal and develop an incorrect cycle of
mitosis. They will then keep reproducing at a high rate, causing the body to put lots of
energy into their production and upkeep. All of this energy being devoted to these cancer
cells causes other normal cells to suffer and can ultimately lead to death.
o Causes of Cancer (things likely to increase the chance of mutated cells)
Chemicals many chemicals cause mutation, leading to problems with mitosis
Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation When tanning or exposed to the sun, you absorb UV
light. UV light causes DNA to be mutated which can alter the cell mitosis cycle in
the future.
Viruses an example is the HPV virus, which is known to cause cervical cancer in
females if they are exposed.
X-rays they radiate cells, causing mutations
Genetics -- some people are born with genes that are more likely to mutate over
time or have cancerous properties. If cancer runs in the family, then you are likely
to have a higher risk of getting cancer.
What Is A Tumor?
o A tumor is a cluster of cells going through uncontrolled mitosis.
o You can have two types of tumors:
Benign Tumors these tumors have cells that do NOT migrate to other parts of
the body and do not harm other parts of the body
Malignant Tumors these tumors have cells that can migrate to other parts of the
body, potentially causing the cancer cells to spread in the body
When a tumor or cancer cells have spread from their original source, this is
called metastasis.

***This picture gives information on how a general body mole looks different than a skin cancer***

If You Get Cancer, How Can It Be Treated?


o Each cancer is different, so treatments may vary from person to person. Additionally,
how advanced the cancer is will impact what type of treatment you get.
o Biopsy
First, doctors usually want to analyze the first sign of cancer. This is usually seen
as a tumor. Doctors want to look at the tumor to see if it is cancerous or not. If
the tumor is cancerous, doctors then want to know if it is benign or malignant. To
determine these things, doctors take a biopsy. In a biopsy, the doctor removes a
sample of the cells from the tumor to analyze under a microscope to determine
the nature of the cells.
o Radiation Therapy
If the tumor is cancerous, you can direct radiation at the tumor. The radiation will
kill the cells in the tumor, causing the tumor to shrink and hopefully die.
o Chemotherapy
To kill cancer cells in the body, doctors can inject powerful drugs into the body.
This is usually done as an injection of drugs into the blood. These drugs kill cells
quickly and aggressively. These drugs will also kill many normal cells in the body.
So, this therapy can make people very weak and frail.
o Surgery
Often, the doctors will remove the tumor and attempt to remove the cancer from
the body and reduce the chance of it spreading.

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