Programmed Cell Death

• Cells don’t last forever–

they can naturally self-
destruct. This process is
called apoptosis
• Apoptosis removes cells
during development,
infected cells, and
potential cancer cells
• This is a completely
natural process and is
controlled by the genes in
your DNA
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 Oncogenes and Proto-oncogenes
• Genes are parts of DNA that
are responsible for specific
processes in the cell
• Proto-oncogenes are normal
genes that help cells grow
• If something goes wrong with
the genes (mutation) under
certain circumstances, these
proto-oncogenes can turn
into oncogenes
• Oncogenes transform a
normal cell into a tumor cell
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 Cancer
• Cancer is just out of
control mitosis and
growth.
• A cancer cell begins
dividing abnormally and
begins displacing normal
tissue
• The cancer cells can enter
the blood stream and
invade other parts of the
body.

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 Tumors
• Most tumors are benign
and not cancerous
• A malignant tumor is
considered cancerous.
• For a tumor to be
malignant, it must
invade other cells by
attacking blood or
lymphatic vessels.
• Metastasis is when the
cancer spreads to other
parts of the body
 Stages of Cancer
• Stage 0: Abnormal cells are detected but have not spread
• Stage 1: The cancer is relatively small and contained within the
organ it started in
• Stage 2: The tumor is larger than in Stage 1, but has not spread to
surrounding area
• Stage 3: The cancer is larger and has spread into the surrounding
area. Doctors may classify cancers into Stage 3a, 3b, or 3c.
• Stage 4: The cancer has metastasized to other organs. This is the
most serious stage of cancer.

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 Cancer Treatments
• There are different treatment options
for patients depending on the type of
cancer and the stage.
• Some cancers can be removed by
surgery if they’re in the early stages
• Chemotherapy uses a mixture of
drugs to kill cancer cells. These drugs
are also very toxic to your healthy cells
• Radiation therapy uses high-power
beams of energy (radiation) to destroy
cancer cells.