Module 4: Cell

Activity 1
Cycle
Answer the following:

1. What is the reason for having cancer cells?

- Certain genetic alterations are responsible for the development of cancer. A series of genetic and
epigenetic changes cause cancer cells to emerge. Some of these alterations are hereditary, while others are
produced by carcinogens, which can be a material in the air, a product you use, or a chemical in foods and
beverages. When the genes in a cell become abnormal, the cell begins to expand and divide out of control,
resulting in cancer. The gene and its function are determined by the nucleotide sequence. Changes in the
arrangement of the nucleotides that make up a gene are known as mutations. Even a single base alteration
among the thousands of bases that make up a gene can have a significant impact.
2. Based on your readings, what do you think is the reason why cancer is difficult to treat?
- Because cancer is extremely difficult to understand. Each cancer is distinct; this is not a single disease, but
a collection of diseases that the general public handles as if they were all the same. It's possible that cancer
is tough to treat because cancer cells sometimes reject the signal to stop dividing. Cancer cells modify their
behavior as a result of genetic mutations they acquire over time. Cancer cells grow and divide at a fast pace,
putting them under a lot of stress and causing DNA damage. And, in many cases, the medications we use to
treat cancer are also lethal to healthy cells.