2. Cancer
Cancer is a deadly disease where your own cells attack your body,
destroying the body from the inside, leading to severe sickness and
death.
Cancer can kill a person in
months or years.
3. Cancer
A tumour is a mass of cells that continue to divide with no function in
the body.
The very first cell to start a tumour is created by a DNA mutation caused
by a carcinogen. The mutated cell begins dividing uncontrollably.
4. Cancer
Normally the immune system can kill cancer cells by inducing
a) apoptosis – programmed cell death
b) necrosis – cell injury that results in premature death of cell, often
linked to inflammation of surrounding tissues
5. Cancer
Apoptosis can occur for “normal” cells when it is time for them to die. It
can also occur as “cell suicide” if they are infected with a virus or
have damaged DNA.
6. Cancer
Metastasis – spreading
around the body, invading
other organs and
impairing their function.
Malignant – an aggressive
cancer that metastasizes,
resulting in sickness and
death.
Benign – a tumor that is not
malignant.
7. Cancer
A person with skin cancer may later get the cancer in their lungs
because the skin cancer may have been malignant. That means
the cancer has metastasized from the skin to the lungs.
9. Types of Cancer
Carcinoma: Cancers derived from epithelial cells; includes the most common
cancers (especially of old age), and nearly all developing in
the breast, prostate, lung, pancreas, and colon.
Sarcoma: Cancers arising from connective
tissue (i.e. bone, cartilage, fat, nerve), each of which develop from cells
originating outside the bone marrow.
Lymphoma and leukemia: Cancers arising from blood-forming cells that leave
the marrow and tend to mature in the lymph nodes and blood. Leukemia is the
most common type of cancer in children accounting for about 30%.
Germ cell tumor: Cancers derived from pluripotent cells, most often
presenting in the testicle (seminoma) or the ovary (dysgerminoma).
Blastoma: Cancers derived from immature "precursor" cells or embryonic
tissue.
10. Causes of Cancer
Cancer starts with a mutation in the DNA.
Mutation – A change to the DNA sequence.
Not all mutations are harmful. Some mutations do not affect an
organism, while some cause health problems like cancer.
12. Causes of Cancer
A carcinogen is a factor in the environment that can cause cancer.
Three known carcinogens are tobacco smoke, x-rays, and
environmental pollution. Other carcinogens are UV radiation
(sunlight or tanning beds), viruses, organic solvents, and certain
chemicals in plastics.
15. Cancer Prevention
Cancer is linked to diet because eating more “super foods” such
as tomatoes, carrots, red grapes, and broccoli can help
prevent cancer.
16. Cancer Prevention
Eating less red meat, processed meat, saturated fat, and refined sugar
may also reduce the risk of cancer.
23. Detecting Cancer
When a doctor thinks that you might have cancer, they may
perform a biopsy.
This means that they cut a piece of the tumor out of you and
analyze it.
24. Treating Cancer
There are 3 common cancer treatments:
1) Surgery
2) Chemotherapy
3) Radiation Therapy
26. Treating Cancer
There are 3 common cancer treatments:
2) Chemotherapy – chemicals are injected in the person to poison and
kill the tumor cells.
27. Treating Cancer
There are 3 common cancer treatments:
3) Radiation Therapy – radioactive energy is used to damage the DNA of
cancer cells to the point of cell death.
