What Are the Differences Between Cancer Cells and Normal Cells?
Name: __________________________
How are these cells different?
Use your unique data set below to answer the following questions:
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What specific aspect of cells are you comparing between normal cells and cancer cell?
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In your own words, give a brief description of the aspect you are observing.
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____________________________________________________________________________________
Using the information you were given, how are cancer cells different from normal cells?
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Write 3 questions that would help you better understand the differences between normal cells and cancer cells.
1. _________________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________________________
Cell Reproduction
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Normal Cells: New cells replace dead cells or the cells that become damaged. This reproduction is important to
maintain the cell population. Healthy cells reproduce properly by mitosis, except for sex cells that reproduce
through meiosis.
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Cancer Cells: When cells become cancerous, they begin to reproduce uncontrollably mainly because they have
chromosome mutations or gene mutations. They are in control of their growth signals and continue to multiply.
What Are the Differences Between Cancer Cells and Normal Cells?
Name: __________________________
How are these cells different?
Use your unique data set below to answer the following questions:
●
What specific aspect of cells are you comparing between normal cells and cancer cell?
●
____________________________________________________________________________________
In your own words, give a brief description of the aspect you are observing.
____________________________________________________________________________________
●
____________________________________________________________________________________
Using the information you were given, how are cancer cells different from normal cells?
____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
Write 3 questions that would help you better understand the differences between normal cells and cancer cells.
4. _________________________________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________________________________
6. _________________________________________________________________________________
Cell Death
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Normal Cells: An important difference in the comparison of cancer cells vs. normal cells is that normal cells selfdestruct when they are diseased. This happens through a process called apoptosis in which these cells break
down and are then eliminated by white blood cells.
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Cancer Cells: These cells do not have the ability to self-destruct, which is mainly because of the mutations that
let the damage in the cells go undetected.
What Are the Differences Between Cancer Cells and Normal Cells?
Name: __________________________
How are these cells different?
Use your unique data set below to answer the following questions:
●
What specific aspect of cells are you comparing between normal cells and cancer cell?
●
____________________________________________________________________________________
In your own words, give a brief description of the aspect you are observing.
____________________________________________________________________________________
●
____________________________________________________________________________________
Using the information you were given, how are cancer cells different from normal cells?
____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
Write 3 questions that would help you better understand the differences between normal cells and cancer cells.
7. _________________________________________________________________________________
8. _________________________________________________________________________________
9. _________________________________________________________________________________
Functioning
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Normal Cells: The comparison of cancer cells vs. normal cells shows that normal cells are assigned a specific task
and they always perform that task. For instance, the function of normal white blood cells is to fight off
infections, and they do it all the time.
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Cancer Cells: These cells are usually dysfunctional. The numbers of white blood cells increase exponentially in
leukemia, but these cancerous white blood cells do not function properly, if at all.
What Are the Differences Between Cancer Cells and Normal Cells?
Name: __________________________
How are these cells different?
Use your unique data set below to answer the following questions:
●
What specific aspect of cells are you comparing between normal cells and cancer cell?
●
____________________________________________________________________________________
In your own words, give a brief description of the aspect you are observing.
____________________________________________________________________________________
●
____________________________________________________________________________________
Using the information you were given, how are cancer cells different from normal cells?
____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
Write 3 questions that would help you better understand the differences between normal cells and cancer cells.
10. _________________________________________________________________________________
11. _________________________________________________________________________________
12. _________________________________________________________________________________
Evading Growth Suppressors
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Normal Cells: There are growth or tumor suppressors that control normal cells. Certain proteins handle this
process, and these proteins are coded for by various types of tumor suppressor genes. Some tell cells when to
stop dividing, others help fix damage in cells, and the last type takes care of the apoptosis.
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Cancer Cells: These cells are the result of mutations in any of the growth or tumor suppressors that help
regulate the functioning of normal cells. These mutations allow cancer cells to grow uncontrollably.
What Are the Differences Between Cancer Cells and Normal Cells?
Name: __________________________
How are these cells different?
Use your unique data set below to answer the following questions:
●
What specific aspect of cells are you comparing between normal cells and cancer cell?
●
____________________________________________________________________________________
In your own words, give a brief description of the aspect you are observing.
____________________________________________________________________________________
●
____________________________________________________________________________________
Using the information you were given, how are cancer cells different from normal cells?
____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
Write 3 questions that would help you better understand the differences between normal cells and cancer cells.
13. _________________________________________________________________________________
14. _________________________________________________________________________________
15. _________________________________________________________________________________
The Rate of Growth
● Normal Cells: Cells can reproduce, but normal cells stop this process once there are enough cells present.
Usually, once cells are contacted on all sides by other cells, they stop diving. This is known as contact inhibition.
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Cancer Cells: Unlike normal cells, cancer cells don’t stop reproduction once contacted by other cells and they
continue to reproduce. This causes them to pile up on top of each other forming a tumor.
DATA ANALYSIS
Name: ______________________________
There are certain characteristics of healthy, normal cells that separate them from cancer cells. Here is a comparison of cancer cells
vs. normal cells to help you know the difference. Based on their location, cells can live for a certain amount of time only. For
instance, your liver cells can last from six months to a year, and then they are replaced with new ones. Taste bud cells, on the other
hand, are replaced every 10-14 days. Healthy cells can destroy themselves when they become damaged and are replaced with new
healthy cells. Healthy cells also grow in a controlled manner, but sometimes changes in these cells make them grow uncontrollably,
resulting in a mass or tumor. Let's identify the key characteristics of a cancer cell in order to determine what really makes cancer
cells unique. To explain a key cancer characteristic, in your group create a CER using one of the provided figures as evidence.
YOUR INDIVIDUAL DATA:
Your Aspect of Cancer Cells: ________________________________________________________________________________
Claim (Remember your claim should answer the driving question): _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Evidence that supports your claim from your own unique data set: ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reasoning that explains how your evidence supports your claim: __________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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YOUR GROUP’S COLLECTIVE DATA ANALYSIS: What causes cells to become cancerous? Create a CER that uses specific evidence
from all of your group’s individual data sets and write a well-written reasoning that explains what your group has figured out.
Furthermore, evaluate the strength of your claim by explaining what questions we still need to ask to better understand the
differences between cancer and normal cells.
Group claim: _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Evidence:
Aspect of cancer: _____________________________________________
Student name: ______________________________
Evidence as provided by individual student: _______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aspect of cancer: _____________________________________________
Student name: ______________________________
Evidence as provided by individual student: _______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aspect of cancer: _____________________________________________
Student name: ______________________________
Evidence as provided by individual student: _______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aspect of cancer: _____________________________________________
Student name: ______________________________
Evidence as provided by individual student: _______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aspect of cancer: _____________________________________________
Student name: ______________________________
Evidence as provided by individual student: _______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reasoning: Use all data sets in your reasoning to provide clear understanding of how cancer cells differ from normal cells.
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Evaluation: Each student in your group should write one (1) question that still needs to be answered regarding today’s discussion.
Student name: ______________________________
Student question: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Data needed to answer this question: ___________________________________________________________________________
Student name: ______________________________
Student question: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Data needed to answer this question: ___________________________________________________________________________
Student name: ______________________________
Student question: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Data needed to answer this question: ___________________________________________________________________________
Student name: ______________________________
Student question: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Data needed to answer this question: ___________________________________________________________________________
Student name: ______________________________
Student question: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Data needed to answer this question:
___________________________________________________________________________