• Cancers demonstrate how important it is that?cell division?is?precisely controlled, as cancers arise due to?uncontrolled mitosis
• Cancerous cells divide repeatedly and uncontrollably, forming a?tumour?(an irregular mass of cells)
• Cancers start when?changes occur in the genes that control cell division.?A change in any gene is known as a mutation. If the mutated gene is one that?causes?cancer?it is referred to as an?oncogene
  • Mutations are common events and don’t lead to cancer most of the time
  • Most mutations either result in?early cell death?or result in the cell being destroyed by the?body’s immune system
  • As most cells can be easily replaced, these events usually have no harmful effect on the body

   

• The mutations that result in the generation of cancerous cells?do not result in early cell death or in the cell being destroyed by the body’s immune system
• This means that the?harmful mutation?occurring in the original cell can be?passed on?to all that cell’s descendants
• A typical tumour contains around a thousand million cancerous cells by the time it is detected

• Carcinogens?are any agents that may cause cancer (eg. UV light, tar in tobacco smoke and X-rays). If the agent causes cancer it is described as?carcinogenic
• Some tumours (such as warts) do not spread from their original site – these are known as?benign?tumours and?do not cause cancer
• Some tumours spread through the body, invading and destroying other tissues – these are known as?malignant?tumours and?cause cancer
  • Malignant tumours interfere with the normal functioning of the organ / tissue in which they have started to grow (eg. they may block the intestines, lungs or blood vessels
  • Malignant tumour cells can?break off the tumour and travel through the blood and / or lymphatic system?to form?secondary growths?in other parts of the body
  • The spreading of cancers in this way is known as?metastasis
  • Metastasis is very dangerous as it can be?very difficult to detect, locate and remove?secondary cancers

   

Stages in the development of cancer

Cancer treatments

• Almost half of all people with cancer possess a mutated?p53?gene
  • This is a gene that helps to control cell growth

   

• However, there are also?many other reasons why the control of cell division deteriorates
  • This means that there is no single effective treatment for individuals suffering from cancer

   

• Most current cancer treatments/drugs work by controlling the rate of mitosis
  • Methotrexate -? inhibits the synthesis of DNA nucleotides in cells
  • Vincristine and taxol -? prevent the formation of the mitotic spindle