What is cancer?
Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCvZqeHyXIY
Summary
This video provides a basic overview about what cancer is with graphics to help explain the process. In the video, cancer is defined as "a group of over one hundred diseases characterized by abnormal, uncontrolled cell growth." In a human body, cells grow and develop, multiply, and then die. However, cancerous cells don't "die" and instead continue reproducing. Over time, this mass of cells, called a tumor, can be harmful to the body. The cancer becomes most harmful when it reaches metastasis: when the malignant (uncontrolled) cells penetrate the tissue from the organ in which they developed, and into the circulatory system. The circulatory system carries blood throughout the body, and the cancerous cell can then travel to different parts of the body. Cancer is a leading cause of death in the United States especially because a cure has not yet been found.
Relevance to Class
This video about cancerous cells is relevant to class because we have studied cell division and cancer. Cell division is the normal, controlled division of cells that replace themselves. However, when it gets out of control, the cells are called cancerous cells and divide uncontrollably. We have previously learned about the terms associated with cancer that the video mentioned: metastasis, benign tumors, and malignant tumors. The tumor becomes malignant, or harmful, when it undergoes metastasis and travels through the bloodstream. Normal cells would replace themselves at a constant rate and continue to grow and perform their functions, which these cancer cells do not.
Video Information
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCvZqeHyXIY
Author: Women's Medical Video
Date Published: November 8, 2012
By Tara Jawahar
if there is no cure for cancer yet, is there any antibiotic that can slow down cancer cell growth?
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are any antibiotics, but I do know that different therapies are used (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.) to kill the cancer cells. However, this usually kills other fast-growing cells like hair and skin cells too, so it is not the ideal solution for cancer.
DeleteIs cancer a recent problem, or has it always been around?
ReplyDeleteOne site I saw said that cancer has already been around (http://www.jonbarron.org/article/growth-cancer), but I think there are different mutations today that trigger the cancer in more people such as UV radiation. I'm not sure if that's correct though.
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