Cancer

Who cares??? You do!

Why is the cell cycle, its
control and the correct
progression through
mitosis so important
anyway???

Because...mistakes can
lead to your cells becoming
cancerous...
Cell Cycle Checkpoints
If the cell notices a
problem, it will
stop cell division.
Cancer: uncontrolled cell division.

1. Recall: cells respond to protein signals to progress

through checkpoints & divide.
a. Keeps cells from unnecessarily dividing or dividing
when not ready/damaged.
2. The protein signals cells respond to are determined by
your genes
a. A gene is a segment of DNA that codes for a protein.
3. Therefore, you have genes that make proteins that control the
cell cycle…

a. Damage/changes (mutations) to genes that code for proteins

that function in regulating the cell cycle cause cancer.
4. Genes controlling cell cycle = proto-oncogenes and tumor
suppressor genes.

a. Proto-oncogenes = gas pedals of cell = produce proteins

that trigger cell to continue through cycle
b. Tumor suppressor genes = brakes = produce proteins that
stop cell from dividing

How do mutations in each of these result in uncontrolled cell

division?
Cancerous cells often have multiple mutations in
both types of genes = hard to treat cancer!
What can cause changes (mutations) in these
genes?
1. Inheritance. You may inherit DNA with changes from your
parents
2. Carcinogens/mutagens: substances that damage DNA
a. Cigarette smoke
b. UV radiation
c. X-rays
 Cancer Cells Are Crazy
● No anchorage dependence-
○ they do not have to be touching other cells/tissues
to survive/divide
○ can travel to other locations in body and start
growing
● No density dependent inhibition
○ they don’t stop dividing when there
are a lot of them.
Cancer Cells are Crazy

● Divide indefinitely
○ no apoptosis: programmed cell death
■ usually triggered when DNA/cell defects
detected
● Can make blood vessels form and grow toward
them
METASTASIS
= the development of
secondary malignant
growths at a distance from
a primary site of cancer.

In other words: the

spreading of cancer to
other sites.
Tumor: abnormal growth of cells
● Benign - not cancer - cells do not invade other tissues
● Malignant - cancer - cells can move to other tissues &
begin growing
Treatments
1. Surgery - remove the tumor; goal is to remove
all cancerous cells
2. Radiation - aim radiation at the tumor to kill
the cells
3. Chemotherapy - drugs that target & kill rapidly
dividing cells