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Cancer Basics

about cancer

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siyaraghav248
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11 views

Cancer Basics

about cancer

Uploaded by

siyaraghav248
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

Cancer

The word cancer actually refers to many diseases not one , in real more
than 100 diseases collectively termed as cancer

Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably


and spread to other parts of the body.

Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of
trillions of cells. Normally, human cells grow and multiply (through a
process called cell division) to form new cells as the body needs them. When
cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place.

Sometimes this orderly process breaks down, and abnormal or damaged


cells grow and multiply when they shouldn’t. These cells may form tumors,
which are lumps of tissue. Tumors can be cancerous or not cancerous
(benign).

Cancerous tumors spread into, or invade, nearby tissues and can travel to
distant places in the body to form new tumors (a process called metastasis).
Cancerous tumors may also be called malignant tumors. Many cancers form
solid tumors, but cancers of the blood, such as leukemias, generally do not.

Benign tumors do not spread into, or invade, nearby tissues. When


removed, benign tumors usually don’t grow back, whereas cancerous
tumors sometimes do. Benign tumors can sometimes be quite large,
however. Some can cause serious symptoms or be life threatening, such as
benign tumors in the brain.
Normal cells v/s Cancer
cells
Cancer cells differ from normal cells in many ways. For instance, cancer
cells:

grow in the absence of signals telling them to grow. Normal cells only grow
when they receive such signals.

● ignore signals that normally tell cells to stop dividing or to die (a


process known as programmed cell death, or apoptosis).
● invade into nearby areas and spread to other areas of the body.
Normal cells stop growing when they encounter other cells, and
most normal cells do not move around the body.
● tell blood vessels to grow toward tumors. These blood vessels
supply tumors with oxygen and nutrients and remove waste
products from tumors.
● hide from the immune system. The immune system normally
eliminates damaged or abnormal cells.
● 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.
● accumulate multiple changes in their chromosomes, such as
duplications and deletions of chromosome parts. Some cancer cells
have double the normal number of chromosomes.
● 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.

Many times, cancer cells rely so heavily on these abnormal behaviors that
they can’t survive without them. Researchers have taken advantage of this
fact, developing therapies that target the abnormal features of cancer cells.
For example, some cancer therapies prevent blood vessels growing towards
tumors essentially starving the tumor of needed nutrients.

How does Cancer


Develop ?
Cancer is a genetic disease—that is, it is caused by changes to genes that
control the way our cells function, especially how they grow and divide.

Genetic changes that cause cancer can happen because:

● of errors that occur as cells divide.


● of damage to DNA caused by harmful substances in the
environment, such as the chemicals in tobacco smoke and
ultraviolet rays from the sun.
● They were inherited from our parents.
The body normally eliminates cells with damaged DNA before they turn
cancerous. But the body’s ability to do so goes down as we age. This is part
of the reason why there is a higher risk of cancer later in life.

Each person’s cancer has a unique combination of genetic changes. As the


cancer continues to grow, additional changes will occur. Even within the
same tumor, different cells may have different genetic changes.

Types of gene that cause


cancer
The genetic changes that contribute to cancer tend to affect three main
types of genes—proto-oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and DNA repair
genes. These changes are sometimes called “drivers” of cancer.

Proto-oncogenes are involved in normal cell growth and division. However,


when these genes are altered in certain ways or are more active than
normal, they may become cancer-causing genes (or oncogenes), allowing
cells to grow and survive when they should not.
Tumor suppressor genes are also involved in controlling cell growth and
division. Cells with certain alterations in tumor suppressor genes may
divide in an uncontrolled manner.

DNA repair genes are involved in fixing damaged DNA. Cells with mutations
in these genes tend to develop additional mutations in other genes and
changes in their chromosomes, such as duplications and deletions of
chromosome parts. Together, these mutations may cause the cells to
become cancerous.

As scientists have learned more about the molecular changes that lead to
cancer, they have found that certain mutations commonly occur in many
types of cancer. Now there are many cancer treatments available that
target gene mutations found in cancer. A few of these treatments can be
used by anyone with a cancer that has the targeted mutation, no matter
where the cancer started growing.

Why is Cancer Life


threatening ?
It is life threatening because it affects the part of the body that are essential
for life function.

● Blocks the digestive system


If cancer is in stomach , liver , pancreas or colon it can prevent food
or waste from passing through , which can cause bloating , nausea
and vomiting . If the cancer prevents food from being digested or
absorbed it can make patient malnourished

● Block the Lungs

If too little healthy lung tissue is left, or if cancer blocks off part of the
lung, the person may have trouble breathing and getting enough
oxygen. Or, if the lung collapses, it may become infected, which may
be too hard for someone with advanced cancer to fight.

● Break the Bones

If cancer is in the bones, too much calcium may go into the


bloodstream, which can cause unconsciousness and death. Bones with
tumors may also break and not heal.

● Block the Liver

The liver removes toxins from the blood, helps digest food, and
converts food into substances needed to live. If there isn’t enough
healthy liver tissue, the body’s chemical balance is upset. The person
may eventually go into a coma.

● Block the Bone Marrow

When cancer is in the bone marrow, the body can’t make enough
healthy blood cells. A low red blood cell count will cause anemia, and
the body won’t have enough oxygen in the blood. A low white blood
cell count will make it hard to fight infection. And a drop in platelets
will prevent the blood from clotting, making it hard to control
abnormal bleeding.

Research by - Siya & Raghav

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