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CANCER
WHAT IS C ANCER
• Cancer is caused when the body’s cells begin to divide in an uncontrollable
way.
• Cell division is a controlled process however in cancerous cells, this process is
not as regulated.
• Normal cells divide a certain number of times and eventually die, however
cancerous cells are immortal and divide an unlimited number of times.
HOW DOES C ANCER ARISE?
• Cancer is a genetic disease which means it can be inherited from your parents.
• Cancer can also be cause by environmental factors such as overexposure to
radiation (UV from the sun) , chemicals in tobacco smoke ect. These can
damage DNA which can lead to cancer
TUMORS
• A tumor is a mass of tissue resulting from the accumulation of cells after
uncontrolled cell division.
• Cancers of the blood such as leukemias don’t result in tumor growth.
• There a different types of tumors- benign and malignant
• Benign tumors do not spread into or invade nearby tissues and once a benign
tumor is removed, it does not grow back.
• Malignant tumors spread and invade nearby tissues.
THE SPREAD OF C ANCER
• The process by which cancer is spread around the body is called metastasis.
• Cancer is spread when cancerous cells break off of a tumor and travel through
the blood or lymph system and create new tumors.
PROTO-ONCOGENES
• The types of cells are involved in cell growth and division.
• When these genes become altered they become cancer causing genes
(oncogenes) which allow cells to grow and survive when they should not.
TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES
• These genes also control cell division and growth
• Cells with certain alterations in tumor suppressor genes may divide in an
uncontrollable manner.
DNA REPAIR GENES
• These genes are involved in fixing damaged DNA.
• Cells with mutations in these genes tend to develop additional mutations in
other genes.
• Together, these mutations may cause cells to become cancerous.
C ANCEROUS CELLS VS NORMAL CELLS
• Cancer cells are unspecialised
• Cancer cells are able to ignore signals that instruct them to stop cell division
or induce apoptosis (cell death)
• Cancer cells can influence normal cells, molecules and blood vessels to
surround and feed a tumor. This is how tumors are supplied with oxygen and
nutrients but also how tumors get rid of waste products such as carbon
dioxide.
• Cancer cells are able to evade the immune system.
RECENT INNOVATIONS
• Atovaquone is an anti-malarial drug that has been around since 2000 but is
now looking to be used to treat cancer patients.
• The drug works by combating areas of hypoxia in tumors ( areas with low
levels of oxygen)
• This allows radiotherapy to be more effective as the damaged DNA is unable
to repair itself as well after damage caused by the radiation.
RADIOTHERAPY