2. Section 4: Cancer
Cancer is a disease in which cells grow and
divide uncontrollably, damaging the parts of
the body around them
There are more than 100 types of cancer
3. How cancer begins
Scientiststhink cancer begins with a
mutation, a damage that causes a
change in the DNA
Cells begin to divide in an uncontrolled
way
4. First,1 cell develops in an abnormal
way. As this cell divides, it produces
more abnormal cells. These cells form a
tumor
A tumor is a mass of abnormal cells
that develops when cancerous cells
divide and grow uncontrollably
5. How cancer spreads
Some cancerous cells may enter the
bloodstream and spread to other areas
of the body
6. Treating and preventing cancer
3common ways to treat cancer:
surgery, radiation, and drugs that
destroy the cancer cells
7. Surgery
When cancer is detected on a specific
organ, surgery is the first option
Doctors remove the tumor
8. Radiation
Ifthe cancer has spread to other organs
or the tumor cannot be removed with
surgery, doctors use radiation (uses
high energy waves) to destroy fast –
growing cancer cells
9. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to
treat a disease. These drugs kill cancer
cells or slow their growth
10. Preventing cancer
Avoid smoking
Follow a healthy diet: eat many fruits
and vegetables, avoid foods high in fat
such as fatty meats and fried foods
Protect your skin from sunlight
Notes de l'éditeur
Damage to the DNA causes cells to function abnormally