Cancer
“Mitosis Gone Wild”
What is Cancer?

Uncontrolled cellular division
of abnormal cells

Caused by the genetic code in
the cell’s DNA

Crowds out the healthy cells
and can start to spread to
other parts of the body –
METASTASIZE

Hundreds of different
varieties
Cancer Cell Growth


Occurs in any part of an
animal or plant where cells are
growing and dividing
CONTACT INHIBITION
Normal cells form one layer.
 Replication or cell division
stops upon contact with
neighboring cells
 Cancer cells DO NOT have
contact inhibition, so they
“pile up” on each other forming
tumors or “clumped cells”

Tumors

BENIGN


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No serious health
problems
Grow slowly
Non-invasive
Are NOT carried by
blood
Easily removable
NOT considered Cancer

MALIGNANT





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Very serious health
problems
Rapid growth
Invasive – pushes into
surrounding normal
tissue
Can be carried by blood
or lymph to other areas
of the body =
METASTASIS
Not as easy to remove
Cancer!
What causes cancer?
Everyone has pre-cancerous cells
 Continual irritation of these pre-cancerous
cells triggers the development of cancer
 More than 80% of cancers are caused by
exposure to CARCINOGENS (substances
that promote the development of cancer)



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Chemicals
Radiation (x-rays, UV light)
Viruses (herpes simplex 1 & 2 linked to cervical
cancer)
Stages of Cancer

Describes how far cancer has spread

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Stage
Stage
Stage
Stage
I – small, localized, usually curable
II – larger tumor, lymph may be affected
III – even larger tumor, lymph affected
IV – usually inoperable, metastasis
Stages of Cancer - TNM

TNM Staging – more
precise system
 T = Tumor (T0-T4
depends on size,
invasiveness)
 N = Nodes (N0-N4
indicates lymph
involvement)
 M = Metastasis (M0 or
M1)
 Examples: T1N1M0
T3N4M1
Types of Cancer
Carcinomas – epithelial cells (skin or
tissue lining) *Most cancers – breast,
stomach, lung, prostate, colon
 Melanoma – pigment producing cells
(moles)
 Lymphomas – lymphatic tissue
 Sarcoma – bone, muscle, fat, connective
tissue *Rare (~2% of cancers)
 Leukemia – blood/bone marrow

Skin Cancer – Melanoma
Treatments

Surgery – removal of a localized tumor

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Number 1 option
Can stop cancer from spreading
Usually followed by radiation or chemotherapy
Radiation – damages cancer cells (but also
damages surrounding healthy cells)
Chemotherapy – strong doses of chemicals are
used to kill cancerous cells

Given orally or through injections
Treatments

Immunotherapy


Kill cancer cells by using chemicals such as interferon
(naturally occurring in our body) to help stimulate our
immune system to fight
Vaccine – also used to stimulate immune system
Treatments

Hormone Treatment


Bone Marrow Transplant


Reduces the amount of hormones produced in
the body which can decrease the rate at which
cancer can spread (breast, prostate, uterine)
Replace bone marrow to begin new production
of red blood cells
Alternative
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Diet
Acupuncture (for minimizing pain, post
operative swelling, vomiting from chemo)
Hyperthermia – heat to destroy cancer cells
Prevention of Cancer
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Major Risk Factors

Smoking Tobacco

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UV exposure
Diet & Lack of Exercise
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1/3 of ALL cancer deaths in US caused by tobacco
smoke
overconsumption of alcohol, fat, and foods that have
been smoked, cured, pickled, or charred
Lack of dietary fiber or antioxidant vitamins and
minerals
Radiation (x-rays, radioactive substances)
CARCINOGENS – chemicals that increase
cancer risk (asbestos, uranium, radon,
cadmium)
Are you at risk?

Everyone's cancer risk profile is complex
and unique – genetics, environment, and
lifestyle choices all factor in to your
chance of developing cancer!