CANCER

CELLS
GROWING OUT
OF CONTROL

 Organisms need the cell cycle control system to grow

and maintain its tissues normally
For example, the cell cycle normally halts within the
G1 phase of interphase unless the cell receives a goahead signal via certain cell cycle control proteins.
If that signal never arrives, the cell will switch into a
permanently nondividing state.

 They divide excessively and may invade

other tissues of the body
If unchecked, cancer cells may continue to
divide until they kill the host

ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR OF CANCER CELLS

It begins when a
single cell undergoes
transformation ( a
process that converts
a normal cell to a
cancer cell )

The cell evades

destruction and
proliferates to
form a tumor

Transformation occurs
after a genetic change
(mutation) in one or
more genes that
encode for proteins in
the cell cycle control
system.

The immune system

recognizes the
growing abnormal cell
and destroys it.

Benign tumors can cause

problems if they grow large
and disrupt organs, but
they can be completely
removed by surgery

They perform metastasis by:

- Separating from the original tumor
-Or secreting signal molecules that cause blood
vessels to grow toward the tumor where tumor
cells can then enter to the blood or lymph
vessels and move to other body parts.

Three main types of cancer treatment - slash, burn and

poison :

Surgery (slash):
to remove the tumor
Radiation Therapy (burn):
Damages DNA and disrupt cell division.
Parts of the body that have cancerous
tumors are exposed to concentrated
beams of high-energy radiation
Side effects: Nausea and hair loss

Chemotherapy (poison):

Chemotherapy drugs:

The use of drugs to

disrupt cell division.
It is used to treat
widespread tumors

Paclitaxel or Taxol:
freezes the spindle before it forms, keeping it from functioning.
It is a chemical discovered in the bark of Pacific yew ( tree
found in the U.S)
Effective against cancers of ovary and breast
Vinblastine:
Prevents the mitotic spindle from forming
It was first obtained from the periwinkle plant of the rain forests
of Madagascar.