Cancer cells have mutations in either oncogenes (turning the gene expression up) or tumor suppressors (turning gene expression down or knocking them out). They lose control of the cell division cycle and continue to divide when they shouldn't. They also become immortalized and do not undergo the Hayflick limit to cell division experienced by normal cells. Finally, and quite importantly, they become invasive and leave their normal site in the body to migrate around. At this point, we call them "malignant".
2006-09-25 19:06:55
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answer #1
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answered by Lorelei 2
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They replicate non stop and at a faster rate then normal cells. This is the basis of chemo, to kill any cells that is fast replicating. There are also other normally fast growing cells in the body and are killed too - giving some side effects of chemo. Well back to cancer cells - they would eat away any organ along their path. Also The content of the cancer cells differs also - they have mutation of their nuclear material
2016-03-17 23:56:34
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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Cancer cells are different from normal body cells due to a cancer cell's deviance from normal cell reproduction. Normal cells know when to stop reproducing more cells. A cancer cell will continue to multiply instead of dying. Eventually a tumor will develop as a result of the continual multiplying of cancer cells.
2014-04-17 08:52:54
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/awrqc
Cancer cells are the bodies normal cells that for some reason (various..genetics, viruses) have become misprogramed to reproduce at a faster rate. The problem when a tumor forms is that is usually is a very vascular structure meaning it forms blood vessels inside it. It begins to rob the body of nutrients in order to feed itself which is why cancer victims loose weight. Different cells form different tumors..hence the difficulty in fighting cancer.
2016-04-06 23:22:35
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answer #4
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answered by Kelly 4
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Cancer cells differ from normal cells because they have an accumulation of about 6-8 mutatations in them, that are not found in typical cells.
Cancer is a disease of genes gone awry. Genes that control the orderly replication of cells become damaged, allowing the cell to reproduce without restraint and eventually to spread into neighboring tissues and set up growths throughout the body.
The mutations include (but are not limited to):
Oncogenes normally encourage cell growth; when mutated or overexpressed, they can flood cells with signals to keep on dividing.
Tumor-suppressor genes normally restrain cell growth; when missing or inactivated by a mutation, they allow cells to grow and divide uncontrollably.
Angiogenesis genes allow the growing tissue to get a greater supply of oxygen.
p53 and apoptosis (programmed cell death) genes, dont function properly so the body does not kill the defective cells.
Metastasis genes allow the tumor to move from place to place via the lymph or blood making the tumor progress from benign to malignant.
2006-09-22 15:45:29
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answer #5
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answered by phd4jc 3
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Cancer cells differ from normal cells in size, structure, function, and growth rate. These malignant cells lack the normal controls of growth seen in healthy cells, and grow uncontrollably. This uncontrolled growth allows the cancer cells to invade adjacent structures and then destroy surrounding tissues and organs. Malignant cells may also metastasize to other areas of the body through the cardiovascular or lymphatic systems. This uncontrolled growth and spread of cancer cells can eventually interfere with one or more of a person's vital organs or functions and possibly lead to death. The primary sites of cancer metastasis are the bone, the lymph nodes, the liver, the lungs, and the brain (McCance & Roberts, 1998).
Other than inflammatory cells, normal cells do not migrate, but cancer cells do. In order to spread, tumor cells must dissolve the extracellular matrix or ECM (the milieu that surrounds the cells), escape into the circulatory system, be carried to another site, escape out of the circulatory system, and then re-implant. If these processes can be interrupted, it is believed that metastases (which are generally what end up killing cancer patients) can be prevented.
Cancer cells also differ from normal cells in the function of various signaling pathways relating to reproduction and death. Cancer cells turn off or override normal signals that tell them to stop growing or even commit suicide (a process called apoptosis) if there are already too many cells. By interfering with these pathological signaling processes, Attenuon believes it may be possible to inhibit tumor growth without major side effects.
Another distinction between cancer and healthy cells is in their need to generate a new blood supply to grow and spread. Dr. Judah Folkman first demonstrated 30 years ago that tumors need new blood vessels to grow larger than one to two millimeters in diameter. He subsequently showed that inhibiting new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) in tumors leads to significant inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis. Numerous investigators have now extended these studies to many different animal models of cancer, with extremely promising results. In an adult, there is little need for the formation of new blood vessels, except in women of child-bearing age. Most other new blood vessel formation is associated with pathological states: wound healing, inflammation, cancer, atherosclerosis (severe hardening and narrowing of the arteries), degenerative diseases of the eye, and endometriosis (a painful condition characterized by abnormal occurrence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus). Thus, it is not surprising that studies of angiogenesis inhibition in animals and humans have demonstrated very little evidence for toxicity.
2006-09-21 22:42:46
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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cancer simply are the hyperactive cells that possess uncontrollable growth & divison to increase there no. rapidly. it mainly happens when mechanism of cells are disturbed by any means.
2006-09-21 22:54:26
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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