Science Section 4 Cancer

How does a cancer tumor begin?

A cancer tumor begins as a single cell. A mutation in the cell's DNA disrupts the normal cell cycle.

What is mutation?

A change in a gene or chromosome.

What is cancer?

A disease in which cells grow and divide uncontrollably, damaging the parts of the body around them.

What is a tumor?

A mass of abnormal cells that develops when cancerous cells divide and grow uncontrollably.

What are some ways to reduce chances of cancer?

Avoiding smoking, eating a healthful diet, and protecting your skin from bright sunlight.

How does cancer spread?

Cancer begins when a mutation occurs in a cell. The cell with the mutation divides over and over. This process produces a mass of cells called a tumor. Then cancer cells break off from the main tumor. The cells enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.

What can you eat to lower your chances of cancer?

Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables.

How is cancer related to the cell cycle?

If scientists can discover how the cell cycle is controlled, they may find ways to stop cancer cells from multiplying.

What is a way you can get lung cancer?

Inhaling tobacco smoke.

How are cancer cells different from normal cells?

Normal cells live in harmony with the cells around them, also cells that go through the cell cycle, divide an a controlled way. But cancer cells begin with mutations which disrupt the normal cell cycle, causing cells to divide in an uncontrolled way.

What is a treatment for cancer if the tumor cannot be removed?

Radiation, which consists of beams of high-energy waves. Fast growing cancer cells are more likely than normal cells to be destroyed by radiation.

What is the relationship between cancer and DNA?

Scientists think that cancer begins when something damages a portion of the DNA in a chromosome. The damage causes a change in the DNA called a mutation. DNA contains all the instructions necessary for life. Damage to the DNA can use cells to function abnormally.

Which method is almost always a part of the treatment for very small tumors that have not spread to other parts of the body? Also why is this method chosen?

Surgery because doctors can try to completely remove the cancerous tumor and the person may be cured.

What are some ways that cancer can be treated?

Surgery, radiation, and drugs that destroy cancer cells.

What is chemotherapy?

The use of drugs to treat diseases such as cancer. Cancer treatment drugs are carried throughout the body by the bloodstream. These drugs kill cancer cells or slow their growth.

What are most skin cancers caused by?

Ultraviolet light in sunlight.

What causes many deaths from cancer?

Unhealthful diets and fatty foods.