Cancer Flashcards
Define cancer
Cancerous cells can divide indefinitely and invade surrounding tissues
Uncontrollable growth of cells
Define tumour
A growth of abnormal cancerous cells
What happens to genes when you have cancer
The genes that regulate mitosis and the cell cycle are damaged
How is a tumour formed?
A normal cells nucleus’ DNA is mutated
The mutated cell continues to divide and does not die - it’s immortal
The cell continues to divide rapidly and uncontrollably
Cell division continues and the primary tumour forms
Tumour/cells split up
The tumour cells are transported in the blood to form a secondary tumour
What do you need to do in order to treat cancer
To treat cancer you need to stop cell division by blocking the cell cycle
What does chemotherapy do
Prevents DNA from replicating (eg using cisplatin)
Stops the spindle fibres forming in metaphase (eg using vinka alkaloids)
