Cancer & Lungs Flashcards
How does cancer happen?
Begins with a healthy cell which then has changes to its DNA which causes uncontrollable cell division which becomes a tumor
What is cancer?
The cells in our body divide to help us grow or to replace
damaged cells.
Normally they divide in a controlled way, but this process can
go wrong producing cancer cells that divide in an
uncontrolled way.
These cancer cells can then crowd out healthy cells and may
spread to other parts of the body
what is a tumor?
an abmormal mass of cells with uncontrolled growth and cell division
What cancers are linked the the BRCA gene
breast and ovarian cancer
Malignant tumor (cancer) characteristics
Grows quickly
Invades neighbouring tissues and can
spread to other parts of the body in
the bloodstream
As the tumour grows, cancer cells
detach and can form secondary
tumours in other parts of the body -
this is called metastasis.
Benign tumor (not cancer) characteristics
Grows slowly; usually grow within a membrane, so can easily
be removed; does not invade other parts of the body
how does cancer spread
In the blood or lymphatic system
Risk factors for cancer
Age
Alcohol
Cancer-Causing Substances
Inflammation
Diet
Hormones
Immunosuppression
Infectious Agents
Obesity
Radiation
Sunlight
Tobacco
Treatments for cancer
surgery -operation to remove the tumor its normally done along with chemo or radiotherapy
radiotherapy - exposing cancer to radiation over short periods of time
chemo- taking powerful drugs given in one go or over a period of time
why do we breathe?
when you breathe you take in oxygen and remove carbon dioxide
oxygen is used for respiration
Gas exchange (what happens when you breathe in & out)
When you breathe in
oxygen rich air moves into your lungs which diffuses from the alveoli into the blood stream
when you breathe out
carbon dioxide rich air is removed from the lungs
carbon dioxide is removed from the blood stream into the lungs
