Lecture 2-1 (Cancer)

• Benign cancers do not spread, while malignant ones do
• Metastasis is tumour formation
• There are more than 100 different types of cancer and up to 40% of people may be affected by cancer in their lifetime
• Cancer cells have smaller cytoplasms, multiple nuclei, extreme variance in cell shapes, and uninhibited cell division that is not density dependent.
• Cancer cells are able to redirect angiogenesis to themselves so they can take up oxygen and nutrients.
• Cells do not respond to cell cycle signals such as the G1 checkpoint
• Cancer cells can be grown in a lab for up to 25 years.
• Programmed cell death does not affect cancer cells
• Cancer cells have abnormal DNA
• Cancer cells have higher activities of tyrosine kinases
• Proto-oncogenes are cells that have the potential of becoming cancerous, especially after being exposed to carcinogens such as chemicals, radiation, and viruses.