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Cancer cells grow and divide out of control

Cancer cells grow and divide out of control. Section 9.4. Tumors and Cancer. Out-of-control cell reproduction can produce a mass of cells called a tumor. An abnormal mass of essentially normal cells is called a benign tumor.

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Cancer cells grow and divide out of control

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  1. Cancer cells grow and divide out of control Section 9.4

  2. Tumors and Cancer • Out-of-control cell reproduction can produce a mass of cells called a tumor. • An abnormal mass of essentially normal cells is called a benign tumor. • More problematic are malignant tumors, masses of cells that result from the reproduction of cancer cells. • Cancer is a disease caused by the severe disruption of the mechanisms that normally control the cell cycle. • This disruption leads to uncontrolled cell division, which if unchecked can result in death.

  3. The most dangerous characteristic of cancer cells is their ability to spread. • A malignant tumor displaces normal tissue as it grows. If a malignant tumor is not killed or removed, it can spread into surrounding tissues. • More alarming still, cells may split off from the tumor and travel to other parts of the body, where they can form new tumors. • The spread of cancer cells beyond their original site is called metastasis (muh TAS tuh sis).

  4. Cancer Treatment • When possible, malignant tumors are removed by surgery. However, it's difficult to successfully remove all traces of cancer cells with surgery. • To treat cancer at the cellular level, physicians sometimes use radiation therapy or chemotherapy. • Both of these treatments attempt to stop cancer cells from dividing. • In radiation therapy, the parts of the body with cancerous tumors are exposed to high-energy radiation, which disrupts cell division. • Chemotherapy involves treating the patient with drugs that disrupt cell division. • Both radiation and chemotherapy can cause undesirable side effects in normal body cells that divide fairly often. • Radiation, for example, can damage cells of the ovaries or testes, causing sterility. • Intestinal cells or hair follicle cells can be affected by chemotherapy, leading to nausea or hair loss.

  5. Concept Check 9.4 • List two differences between benign tumors and malignant tumors. • How might drugs that interfere with mitosis be effective in treating cancer? • How is cancer related to cell reproduction?

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