BIO372 : Cancer

Occasionally, the checks and balances fail and some cells ignore the coordinating signals. Uncontrolled growth begins and can threaten the internal balance of the organism.

Most cancers take a long time to develop from the initial cellular changes, sometimes many years for cells to accumulate the mutations that transform them into malignancy. Furthermore, the majority of cancers result from exposure to substances from the environment that we can personally choose to avoid.

Killer T cells attack a cancer cell. Notice the tentacles of the cancer cell. This image was found at http://www.cancer-info.com/cancerdeath.htm

Even when cells undergo the kinds of changes that lead to cancer, the body may find those aberrant cells and eliminate them before they develop into a tumor.

We will take a look at how the body controls cell division and gene expression, as well as at the conditions that lead to the escape from control, i.e., the changes that lead to cancer.

• Biology of Cancer
• Environment and Cancer

After completing this module, you should be able to:

• Describe the cell cycle and its control
• Discuss the ways that loss of control leads to cancer
• Describe what cancer is and some of the forms that it takes
• Describe the cellular and molecular changes that lead to metastasis
• Identify some of the behaviors that will reduce the risk of cancer

To complete this module, you should:

• Read the papers for "Cancer" in the course pack.
• Open and read the hyper-text lessons for each topic in the unit, including the links in the body of each lesson.
• Submit assignments by the dates indicated on their respective pages.