Honors Project Checkpoint #2-Cancer and Health

Name: Harmony Mason

Patient #: 4

1. Define cancer in your own words:

Cancer is an abnormal growth caused by rapid cell division which can cause
mutation in the genes that regulate the cell, this is called oncogenes and this is how
the cancerous tumors are made.
2. Describe how cancer develops and its connection with mitosis:
Cancer develops when the cells divide more than usually, causing too many cells
that bunch together to create a tumor. This connects with mitosis because mitosis is
what the cell dividing process is.

3. Define Metastasis. In a timeline, list the steps for how metastasis

occurs.
Metastasis is when there is a tumor that separates and starts growing in different
places, rather than just growing in the original site. These are the steps:
Local invasion: Cancer cells invade nearby normal tissue.
Intravasation: Cancer cells invade and move through the walls of nearby lymph
vessels or blood vessels.
Circulation: Cancer cells move through the lymphatic system and the bloodstream
to other parts of the body.
Arrest and extravasation: Cancer cells arrest, or stop moving, in small blood vessels
called capillaries at a distant location. They then invade the walls of the capillaries
and migrate into the surrounding tissue (extravasation).
Proliferation: Cancer cells multiply at the distant location to form small tumors
known as micrometastases.
Angiogenesis: Micrometastases stimulate the growth of new blood vessels to obtain
a blood supply. A blood supply is needed to obtain the oxygen and nutrients
necessary for continued tumor growth.

(Metastatic Cancer, cancer.gov/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/metastatic-fact-sheet)

4. What cancers have been scientifically linked to poor nutrition and

obesity? For each, state, using a correctly-formatted in-text
citation, why scientists think poor nutrition or obesity is a
contributing factor.
Cancers that are linked to poor nutrition and obesity and why obesity is
a contributing factor:
Breast (in women past menopause) Before menopause, most estrogens in the
body are produced in the ovaries. After menopause, the ovaries no longer
produce much estrogen and estrogens mainly come from fat tissue. Colon
and rectum, We believe that a combination of waist circumference (WC) and
body mass index (BMI) measurements is recommended to assess the obesity
related risk of developing colon cancer. (Frezza), Endometrium (lining of the
uterus), Obesity is a known risk factor for endometrial cancer. This excess
risk is associated with the endocrine and inflammatory effects of adipose
tissue. (Peter Kovacs, 2012), Esophagus, case-control studies conducted in
the US, Europe and Australia, which showed a strong correlation between
increasing BMI and the risk of developing EA (4,24) and further supported by
the findings of prospective cohort studies (Table 1). (Chen). Kidney, Obesity
may cause changes in certain hormones that can lead to kidney cancer.
Lastly, pancreatic cancer is caused by obesity because fat cells also produce
many other chemical messengers which affect how the body works (2015).

5. For the cancers that you described in #4, list the ethnicities that
most often get these cancers. Include a correctly-formatted
parenthetical in-text citation in your answer (it can be the same
source that you used for #4 above).
African Americans are more likely to get breast cancer by 11% than any other
ethnicities (Susan G. Komen, 2015). According to data from the National Program
of Cancer Registries in 2012, black people had the highest rate of getting
colorectal cancer. White women are more likely to develop uterine cancer than
black women, (Uterine Cancer: Risk Factors and Prevention, 2012). Black people
are twice as likely as white people to develop the squamous cell type of
esophageal cancer, (Esophageal Cancer: Risk Factors, 2012). Black people have
higher rates of kidney cancer, (Kidney Cancer: Risk Factors and Prevention,
2012). African Americans are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than
whites

6. What foods/diets are linked to lowered cancer risks? (Hint: Looking

up antioxidants and describing what they do would be good here).
Include in your answer a correctly formatted in-text citation different
from the one that you used in #s 4 and 5
There is many foods that are able to lower cancer risks, For example, tomatoes,
watermelon, and other foods containing lycopene have evidence showing that
they probably reduce the risk of prostate cancer, Bender says. (8 Ways to Lower
Your Cancer Risk). Antioxidants is A substance that inhibits oxidation, especially
one, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, or beta carotene, that protects cells from the
sometimes damaging effects of oxidation. (The American Heritage Medical
Dictionary, 2007).

7. Describe how at least one of the following factors also relates to

cancer: genetics, lifestyle, stress, environmental factors. Include in
your answer, a correctly formatted in-text citation different from the
others that youve used.
Stress relates to cancer because if you have cancer and you are stressing
out, Anxiety switches on a gene that speeds up the spread of the disease
(Emma Robertson, 2013). Stress has also been linked to many forms of the
disease including breast and prostate cancer. (Emma Robertson, 2013).
8. Give a detailed analysis of your patients risk for developing cancer
later in life. Include in your analysis ALL of the following: genetics
(family history), nutrition, antioxidant intake, ethnicity, lifestyle,
environmental factors in this area.
My patient has a family history of heart disease. Heart disease can increase your
risk for diabetes and diabetes increases your risk for certain cancers. He also eats
burger king 4 times a week, Eating deep fried foods boosts your risk of prostate
cancer, according to a new study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
in Seattle. (ANNAMARIA ANSELMO, 2013). Since my patient is also allergic to
peanuts, he needs to make sure that he still gets the right proteins and
antioxidants. The research, presented by Swedish scientists at the 2011 European
Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress meeting in Stockholm, shows that men with
higher-than-normal blood pressure have a 10 to 20 percent increased risk of
developing cancer. (Amanda Chan, 2011). The cancers included bowel cancer,
lung cancer, kidney cancer and skin cancer (Amanda Chan, 2011). Since my
patient is Hispanic he is more likely to have a much higher risk for cancers such as
liver, stomach, and cervix. His lifestyle is not the very healthy considering that he
doesnt eat breakfast, he eats a burger and fries pretty much every day along with

canned vegetables in his household if hes eating them for dinner and even though
he goes to swim practice 5 days a week for 2 hours, he is not coming back and
eating healthy when he gets home or when he eats dinner. Also his LDL levels are
very high which can cause heart disease and since my patient has a family history
of heart disease, he is at a very high risk for it, also considering that he has a very
low HDL level.

9. List the 3 primary or secondary resources that youve cited in this

checkpoint. These should be in correct MLA format!
On separate sheet of paper.