Explain what is meant by cancer? How is a cancerous cell different from a normal cell? Cbse
Answers
Cancer is not one disease. It is a combination of diseases that have one common condition. That is, the condition of growth and division of cells that occurs abnormally without any occurence of programmed cell death (or Apoptosis).
Any cell in our body after some time, differentiates and stops dividing to perform a particular function. But a body with cancer has cells constantly dividing.
Cancer could begin in one organ like liver or lungs or blood and this is static. If it spreads or metastasises to other parts of body, it is a metastatic cancer. Curing the latter is not very easy.
The reason for cancer could be anything from a genetic mutation to carcinogens in food, radiation etc.
If a gene is responsible for the misbehavior of the function of cells or proteins translated, it is called an oncogene.
Any mass of abnormal growth of cells is a tumor which could either be benign or cancerous.The former can be excised and got rid of, such as in breast cancer but this could be spread on very quickly that results in complications.