Donna Zahrah Luthfiyah (7)

12 IPS 2

Cancer

Cancer is actually a group of more than one hundred separate diseases. Although there are
many kinds of cancer, all cancers start because abnormal cells grow out of control. Untreated
cancers can cause serious illness. Most of us are fear from cancer It is reasonable because
next to heart disease, cancer is the second leading cause of death.

Cancer starts when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control.  Cancer cell growth
is different from normal cell growth. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form
new, abnormal cells. Cancer cells can also invade (grow into) other tissues, something that
normal cells cannot do. Growing out of control and invading other tissues are what makes a
cell a cancer cell.Cancer cells come from normal cells because of mutations of DNA. Those
mutations can occur spontaneously. The mutations may be also induced by other factors such
as: nuclear and electromagnetic radiation, viruses, bacteria and fungi, parasites, heat,
chemicals in the air, water and food, mechanical cell-level injury, free radicals, evolution and
ageing of DNA, etc. All such factors can produce mutations that may start cancer.

Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. The risk of developing
many types of cancer can be reduced by changes in a person’s lifestyle, for example, by
staying away from tobacco, limiting time in the sun, being physically active, and healthy
eating.

Cancer cells are formed continuously in the organism. It is estimated that there are about
10,000 cancer cells at any given time in a healthy person. Why do some result in
macroscopic-level cancers and some do not? First, not all damaged cells can multiply and
many of them die quickly. Second, those which potentially divide and form cancer are
effectively destroyed by the mechanisms available to the immune system.

Therefore cancer develops if the immune system is not working properly or the amount of
cells produced is too great for the immune system to eliminate.