CANCER

What is cancer?
What’s wrong with cancer cell ?
How do cancerous changes arise ?
How do cancer cells spread to other
tissue ?
Types of cancer
Cancer diagnosis
Cancer treatment
conclusion
 What is cancer?
Cancer is fundamentally a disease of tissue growth
regulation. In order for a normal cell to transform into a
cancer cell, the genes that regulate cell growth and
differentiation must be altered.

The affected genes are divided into two broad

categories. Oncogenes are genes that promote cell growth
and reproduction. Tumor suppressor genes are genes that
inhibit cell division and survival. Malignant transformation
can occur through the formation of novel oncogenes, the
inappropriate over-expression of normal oncogenes, or by
the under-expression or disabling of tumor suppressor genes.
Typically, changes in multiple genes are required to transform
a normal cell into a cancer cell.
 What’s wrong with cancer cells?
Cancer cells are also different from normal cells in
other ways that aren’t directly cell cycle-related.
These differences help them grow, divide, and form
tumors. For instance, cancer cells gain the ability to
migrate to other parts of the body, a process
called metastasis, and to promote growth of new
blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis (which
gives tumor cells a source of oxygen and nutrients).
Cancer cells also fail to undergo programmed cell
death, or apoptosis, under conditions when normal
cells would (e.g., due to DNA damage). In addition,
emerging research shows that cancer cells may
undergo metabolic changes that support increased
cell growth and division
How Do Cancerous Changes
Arise?
Gene mutations accumulate over time as a result of independent events.
Consequently, the path to cancer involves multiple steps. In fact, many
scientists view the progression of cancer as a microevolutionary process.

Microevolution of a cancer cell

A series of mutations in a cell causes it to
proliferate more than its immediate
neighbors. As the cluster of dividing cells
grows over time, further mutations turn
atypical hyperplasia into a cancer
(carcinoma). The spreading of cancer cells
to other tissues and organs (metastasis)
occurs when the adhesion of these
cancerous cells breaks down, and they are
able to travel easily to new locations.
How Do Cancer Cells
Spread to Other Tissues?
During the early stages of cancer, tumors are typically benign and
remain confined within the normal boundaries of a tissue. As
tumors grow and become malignant, however, they gain the
ability to break through these boundaries and invade adjoining
tissues.
Invasive cancer cells often secrete proteases that enable them to
degrade the extracellular matrix at a tissue's boundary. Proteases
also give cancer cells the ability to create new passageways in
tissues. For example, they can break down the junctions that join
cells together, thereby gaining access to new territories.
Metastasis — literally meaning "new place" — is one of the
terminal stages of cancer. In this stage, cancerous cells enter the
bloodstream or the lymphatic system and travel to a new location
in the body, where they begin to divide and lay the foundation for
secondary tumors. Not all cancer cells can metastasize. In order to
spread in this way, the cells must have the ability to penetrate the
normal barriers of the body so that they can both enter and exit the
blood or lymph vessels. Even traveling metastatic cancer cells face
challenges when trying to grow in new areas
 Types of cancer
Cancer may occur anywhere in the body. In women,
breast cancer is one of the most common. In men,
it’s prostate cancer. Lung cancer and colorectal
cancer affect both men and women in high numbers.
There are five main categories of cancer:
Carcinomas begin in the skin or tissues that line the
internal organs.
Sarcomas develop in the bone, cartilage, fat, muscle
or other connective tissues.
Leukemia begins in the blood and bone marrow.
Lymphomas start in the immune system.
Central nervous system cancers develop in the
brain and spinal cord.
 Cancer diagnosis
Your doctor may use one or more approaches to diagnose cancer:
Physical exam. During a physical exam, doctor may look for
abnormalities, such as changes in skin color or enlargement of an organ,
that may indicate the presence of cancer.

Laboratory tests. Laboratory tests, such as urine and blood tests, may
help your doctor identify abnormalities that can be caused by cancer.

Imaging tests. Imaging tests used in diagnosing cancer may include a

computerized tomography (CT) scan, bone scan, magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) scan, ultrasound and
X-ray, among others.

Biopsy. During a biopsy, your doctor collects a sample of cells for

testing in the laboratory. There are several ways of collecting a sample.
Which biopsy procedure is right for you depends on your type of cancer
and its location. In most cases, a biopsy is the only way to definitively
diagnose cancer.
 Treatment of cancer :
Treatment options depend on the type of cancer, its
stage, if the cancer has spread and your general
health. The goal of treatment is to kill as many
cancerous cells while reducing damage to normal
cells nearby. Advances in technology make this
possible.
The three main treatments are:
Surgery: directly removing the tumor
Chemotherapy: using chemicals to kill cancer cells
Radiation therapy: using X-rays to kill cancer cells
The same cancer type in one individual is very
different from that cancer in another individual.
Within a single type of cancer, such as breast cancer,
researchers are discovering subtypes that each
requires a different treatment approach.
Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy, also known as biological
therapy, uses your body's immune system to fight cancer. Cancer
can survive unchecked in your body because your immune system
doesn't recognize it as an intruder. Immunotherapy can help your
immune system "see" the cancer and attack it.
Hormone therapy. Some types of cancer are fueled by your
body's hormones. Examples include breast cancer and prostate
cancer. Removing those hormones from the body or blocking their
effects may cause the cancer cells to stop growing.
Targeted drug therapy. Targeted drug treatment focuses on
specific abnormalities within cancer cells that allow them to
survive.
Clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies to investigate new ways of
treating cancer. Thousands of cancer clinical trials are underway.
Conclusion
Cancer is unchecked cell growth. Mutations in
genes can cause cancer by accelerating cell
division rates or inhibiting normal controls on
the system, such as cell cycle arrest or
programmed cell death. As a mass of cancerous
cells grows, it can develop into a tumor. Cancer
cells can also invade neighboring tissues and
sometimes even break off and travel to other
parts of the body, leading to the formation of
new tumors at those sites.