CANCER

OVER ARCHING CONCEPTS:

  1. controls over cell cycle become lost or ineffectual

CHARACTERISTICS of CANCER

  1. NEOPLASMS – abnormal masses of cells that lost control over how they grow and divide.  Moles and tumors are neoplasms.
  2. CANCERS – abnormally growing and dividing cells of a malignant neoplasm.
    1. cancers grow and divide abnormally
    2. cancer cells have significantly altered cytoplasm and plasma membranes.  Membrane becomes “leaky”, losing proteins, glycolysis amplified, cytoskeleton shrinks or disorganizes.
    3. Cancers cells have weakened capacity for adhesion, recognition proteins are lost or altered causing cancer cells to migrate to other areas of the body (metastasis).
    4. Cancer cells usually have lethal effects
  1. METASTASIS – the ability of cancer cells to migrate or move to other areas of the body and establish new cancer colonies.
  2. BENIGN – harmless
  3. MALIGNANT – spreading (harmful or lethal)