Cancer

Question 1

When are various cells replaced

Answer 1

Digestive cells- weekly, skin cells live less than 3 weeks, erythrocytes live around 4 months, brains cells are not replaced

Question 2

What is cancer

Answer 2

Uncontrolled mitosis resulting in a mass of cells that can invade nearby tissue (malignant) and spread around the body (metastatic)

Question 3

What is the wart virus

Answer 3

Causes uncontrolled cell division of skin cells

Question 4

What are benign tumours

Answer 4

Tumour consisting of cells that don’t invade surrounding tissue and cannot metastasize (move around the body), Can be a threat to an individual’s health but not necessarily- depends on where the tumour is and how large it is

Question 5

What is metastatic cancer

Answer 5

Cancer cells break away from where they are first formed (primary cancer) and travel to other parts of the body through the blood or lymph system forming new tumours (metastatic tumours, same type of cancer), Cancer cells invade the affected organ causing it to lose its ability to carry out normal function meaning the cancer patient becomes ill

Question 6

What can cause cancer

Answer 6

changes to genetic code, Tumour suppressor genes- code for proteins that prevent tumours from developing, Oncogenes- code for proteins that promote the cell becoming cancerous

Question 7

What do cancer treatments do

Answer 7

Earlier the cancer is detected the greater survival chances there are, Aim to reduce the number and the growth of tumours

Question 8

What are some cancer treatments and how do they work

Answer 8

Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy (new development), Work by encouraging leucocytes to recognise faulty cells undergoing uncontrolled mitosis and then attack and destroy them