cell division part 2 {module 7}

Question 1

name the three vital functions of mitosis

Answer 1

1 Development and growth

2 Cell replacement and repair

3 Asexual reproduction.

Question 2

what cells have the potential to develop into any other type of cell in the body?

Answer 2

stem cells

Question 3

explain to me how cancer forms

Answer 3

Cells divide and generally continue to divide, up until a certain point when the body no longer needs them, they become unnecessary or gain abnormalities. When they no longer undergo division, they die. We call this apoptosis. It is a good thing. Some cells undergo a transformation and start to divide uncontrollably. They do not know when to stop and this leads to the growth of abnormal tissue. We call this cancer. Therefore, cancer is essentially a disease of mitosis. It is when a single cell is converted from a normal cell to a cancer cell and through uncontrollable division, forms a mass of cancer cells called a tumour

Question 4

3 characteristics of cancer cells

Answer 4

1 Cancer cells do not know when to stop:

They do not listen to the signals. Our normal cells are great at listening to signals from the body to stop growing and dividing. Cancer cells do not respond to these signals and just keep on dividing.

2 Cancer cells can grow new blood vessels:

As the tumour grows larger, proteins are released from the cell to attract new blood vessels. These blood vessels then draw nutrients away from the healthy cells, starving the healthy cells and allowing the tumour cells to grow. These blood vessels also allow the tumour to spread to other body parts by entering the bloodstream.

3 Cancer cells can spread around the body:

Cancer cells can metastasise. This means they can spread around the body. Malignant tumours are tumours that have the ability to spread to other parts of the body. They spread to surrounding tissues via the bloodstream or lymph system.

Question 5

which tumour is generally not cancerous and harmful?

Answer 5

benign tumours

Question 6

which tumour is harmful and cancerous?

Answer 6

maligant tumour

Question 7

gimme 5 examples of the different kinds of cancer

Answer 7

breast cancer
lung cancer
oesophegeal cancer (throat cancer)
leukaemia (blood cancer)
melanoma (skin cancer)

Question 8

what influences increase the chances of getting cancer?

Answer 8

food {sweetened juice}
lifestyle {tobacco}
industry {wood dust}
virus {hpv}

Question 9

the main aim of cancer treatment?

Answer 9

destroy cancer cells

Question 10

name 3 examples of how cancer can be treated

Answer 10

1 Radiation therapy:

This approach uses high-energy electromagnetic radiation to kill cancer cells.

The radiation damages the DNA of the cancer cell, causing it to die, however, it also damages healthy cells and therefore, the treatment is directly targeted at the tumour. Figure 1 below illustrates the machines used in radiation therapy.

2 Chemotherapy:

This treatment uses special drugs to treat cancer. Most chemotherapy drugs are toxic to cells (cytotoxic) and work by damaging the cell’s DNA. Figure 2 below illustrates a patient receiving chemotherapy through an IV drip.

It specifically tries to prevent cell division, however, these drugs also damage rapidly dividing healthy cells, like red blood cells, hair follicles, and cells lining the mouth, stomach and intestines. Because of this, the side effects include hair loss, mouth ulcers, nausea, sores, anaemia and infections

3 Surgery:

This treatment involves cutting out cancer through surgery. Surgery is only effective if the cancer is in one part of the body, and involves the removal of either the whole tumour, part of the tumour, or sometimes, even the whole organ or body part.