Cancer Cell
What Is Cancer Cell?
Cell is structural and functional unit of body. Tissues are made up of cells and organs are made up of tissues. If there is any problem in the cell, cell itself try to solve it but sometime cell fails to correct the problem leading to some abnormality or disease.
Every normal cell performs some predefined function and after completing its life cycle it becomes dead. Cell formation and cell death is always controlled by the genes. Programmed cell deaths of cells show the normal functioning of the body.
In our body normal cells are developed from the stem cells. Stem cells are mother cells which give rise to the daughter cells by mitotic division. In mitotic division gene number is maintained for next generation. Stem cells shows differentiation property i.e. they can produce different types of cells.
Reason of carcinogenesis
Carcinogens like asbestos, smoke released from the vehicle, high energy radiations like X- rays, UV rays and gamma rays can damage DNA which leads to cancer. Still search is going on to find out exact reason for cancer. Different theories are given for carcinogenesis, but most of the theories say, cells loose the cell division controlling ability, after the mutation of normal stem cells. Cancerous stem cells divides and differentiates in to the abnormal cells leading to cancer i.e. after multiples of division tumor is formed.
Characteristics of cancer cells
- Cancer cells are immortal- Cancer cells reproduce many times without any control. The cells get double in the rate of 2, 4, 8, 16.The division ability of cancer cell is much higher as compare to the normal cells of the body. If cancer cell is destructed itself then there is possibility of stopping division.
- Normal cells follow the order of the genes where and when to stop division but cancer cells divides continuously causing damages to the other normal cells.
- Molecules which are present on the surface of the normal cells are necessary to bind them with each other in proper place. Cancer cells do not have these molecules therefore they are free to get separate from their adjacent cells and move into other body parts.
- Cancerous cells are mostly immature. Immature cells have ability to divide; as cell becomes mature it loses reproduction or division capacity.
After uncontrolled division of cancer cells tumor is formed, it could be benign or malignant. Malignant tumor shows metastasis. Patient suffering from the malignant cancer is treated by killing cancer stem cells. Disrupting cancer stem cells helps to increase the lifespan of the patient. If cancer cells are observed in early stages then patient can be treated by surgery. Sometime chemotherapy may not give good results because some cells are resistant to some chemicals. In surgery, we can remove all cancerous stem cell so that it will not proliferate again. It is found that turmeric is useful while treating the cancer. In spice, turmeric is used to get yellow colour to the curry. Turmeric is anti-cancerous i.e. it have ability to kill the cancerous cells. So, if curry is part of your food then it will decrease the chances of getting cancer. Because of turmeric cancer cell itself shows cell death and tumor size also decreases.
