Cancer is caused by mutations in a cell's DNA that cause uncontrolled cell growth and division. These mutations can be caused by viruses, radiation, or chemical exposure. Cancer cells differ from normal cells in that they lose contact inhibition and can divide indefinitely due to rebuilding of telomeres after each cell division. As cancer cells continue to rapidly divide, they form tumors that can metastasize and spread to other parts of the body. While surgery can remove tumors, chemotherapy and radiation are used to slow or stop cancer cell growth, but have harmful side effects as they also impact healthy cells. The growth of tumors can eventually cause organ dysfunction as they press on tissues.

1. AMC
Original
Series, “B
reaking
Bad”
“never give up control. live life on your own terms.”

2. Unrestrained cell growth and division that
can lead to serious health problems.
Phil Mayor, Slideshare.net, “What is Cancer?”
Cancer cells are the
result of DNA
sequence mutations.
These errors in cell
DNA ruin a cell’s
ability to control it’s
own division cycle.
A cancer cell can
freely divide
uncountable times.
The ability of cancer cells to divide indefinitely is a result of cancer cells
rebuilding their telomeres after each cell division.

3. Mutations in a cell’s DNA can
be caused by certain
viruses, exposure to high levels
of energy and chemical
exposure.

4. Carcinogens are various substances,
High levels of energy such as; energy forms and types of radiation
that is directly connected the cause
X rays, nuclear of cancer.
radiation and
rays from the sun can
cause cancer mutations.
An oncovirus is any virus that causes cancer.
The name refers to the cell’s infected RNA or DNA.
Sarah Leen, science.nationalgeographic.com, Science Photo Gallery, Cancer

5. Cancer Cells are specifically different than normal cells in two ways
1) The cell loses it’s “contact inhibition”
Normally, cells divide until they bump up against other collections of cells.
Cancer cells ignore the signal and continue to divide at a very high density.
(formation of tumors)
2) Cancer cells divide indefinitely
A healthy human cell divides until it touches other cells or until the section of DNA
found at the tip of a chromosome is to short to divide again. This section of DNA is
called a telomere.
A cancer cell will rebuild it’s telomeres each time that it divides. Cancer cells can
divide forever if not fought with chemical treatment.

6. Phil Mayor, Slideshare.net, “What is Cancer?”
The normal cell tissue is healthy because it isn’t over run
with dense clusters of cells.
The Cancerous cell tissue is at a very high density level
due to the cancer cell’s ignorance to contact inhibition.

7. Benign tumors are just an abundance
of normal cells that mass together.
Typically, many moles on a person’s
body are benign masses of cells.
Malignant tumors are the mass of cancer
cells that never stopped dividing. Malignant
tumors shed off and get into a person’s
Circulatory system. This is how cancer
spreads and when it does, it is called,
Metastasis.

8. Zephyr/Science Photo Library, science.nationalgeographic.com, Science, Photo Gallery, Cancer
This cancer patient is an example of Metastasis.
The cancer (orange areas) began growth in the
lungs before it spread to the brain. MRI images
show the nine tumors. Magnetic resonance
imaging.
This image shows the two distinctions from
a normal cell.
1) Loss of contact inhibition
2) Dividing indefinitely

9. Surprisingly, death does not occur from some chemical release or weird genetic
property. As cancerous tumors grow, it takes up larger and larger amounts of room.
Eventually the tumor presses up against important cells and tissues. It is the growth
of the tumor that interrupts and stops organs from carrying out normal functions.
Organ dysfunction like this can have dangerous results in our body when important
tissues are affected.
.. could be blocked, restricting
our bodies from getting oxygen.
.. could stop detoxification .. could be unable to pump
of toxins that go through our Blood through out body.
Body.

10. Moredun Animal Health Ltd/Science Photo
Library, science.nationalgeographic.com, Science
photo gallery, Cancer
Picture of a cancerous tumor inside
of a human lung. The tumor is
covered in microscopic hairlike
structures called microvilli, which
allow absorption and secretion.

11. The rapidly growing cell
collection must be surgically
removed or stopped. To slow
down or stop the growth of a
tumor, chemotherapy and
radiation are used to interrupt
cell division among the
cancerous tumors.
Terrible side effects are a result to chemotherapy. Not only are the cancerous tumors
slowed down in growth but other systems of the body are effected. For example,
red blood cells are produced at a slower rate causing less oxygen to be produced.
Patients endure extreme fatigue and shortness or breath.
When chemotherapy interferes with the division of bone marrow stem cells, the
production of platelets and white blood cells are reduced. This increases bruising,
bleeding and the chance of infection.
Hair follicles are also slowed down by chemotherapy.

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http://www.asco.org/
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Rosen, Leo, Gloria. “American Cancer Society.” Web (10-11-11)
http://www.cancer.org
Talmadge, Fidler. “AACR Centennial Series: The Biology Of
Cancer Metastasis: Historical Perspective.” (2010) (sec. 70)(14)
(pg: 5649-5669)
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/70/14/5649.full