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Cancer cells have unique features that make them "immortal" according to some researchers. The enzyme telomerase is used to extend the cancer cell's life span. While the telomeres of most cells shorten after each division, eventually causing the cell to die, telomerase extends the cell's telomeres. This is a major reason that cancer cells can ...
The cancer stem cell model, also known as the Hierarchical Model proposes that tumors are hierarchically organized (CSCs lying at the apex [6] (Fig. 3).) Within the cancer population of the tumors there are cancer stem cells (CSC) that are tumorigenic cells and are biologically distinct from other subpopulations [7] They have two defining features: their long-term ability to self-renew and ...
Cancers are caused by a series of mutations. Each mutation alters the behavior of the cell somewhat. Cancer is fundamentally a disease of tissue growth regulation. For a normal cell to transform into a cancer cell, the genes that regulate cell growth and differentiation must be altered. [98] The affected genes are divided into two broad categories.
The central role of DNA damage and epigenetic defects in DNA repair genes in carcinogenesis. DNA damage is considered to be the primary cause of cancer. [17] More than 60,000 new naturally-occurring instances of DNA damage arise, on average, per human cell, per day, due to endogenous cellular processes (see article DNA damage (naturally occurring)).
Another way cells prevent over-division is that normal cells will also stop dividing when the cells fill up the space they are in and touch other cells; known as contact inhibition. Cancer cells do not have contact inhibition, and so will continue to grow and divide, regardless of their surroundings.
For example, the most common cancer of the liver parenchyma ("hepato-" = liver), arising from malignant epithelial cells ("carcinoma"), would be called a hepatocarcinoma, while a malignancy arising from primitive liver precursor cells is called a hepatoblastoma. Similarly, a cancer arising from malignant fat cells would be termed a liposarcoma.
T cells must replicate after arriving at the tumor site to effectively kill the cancer cells, survive hostile elements and migrate through the stroma to the cancer cells. This is affected by the tumor microenvironment. The draining lymph nodes are the likely location for cancer specific T cell replication, although this also occurs within the ...
Based on the structure of a micronucleus, or the function of a cell, it seems to provide support in the central apparatus within the cell. Micronuclei are under investigation and research regarding whether or not they can be used to predict future cancer risks. It seems that they are easy to analyze compared to chromosome aberrations.