Key definition:
Apoptosis: cells commit suicides
Benign tumors: tumors that are unlikely to cause harm
Malignant tumors: tumors that likely to be harm
Metastasis: tumors that move anywhere in the body to form secondary tumors.
Carcinogens: cause an unnaturally high rate of mutations
What is a cancer cell?
Cancers or tumor cells can form cells that have lost control of their cell cycles or mutations occur spontaneously through DNA replication. Therefore, cancer cells do not work properly and inhibit other cells to work properly. Anywhere in the human body might occur cancer cells. Normally, cells should conduct apoptosis if the cells have critical defects such as old or become damaged, but some uncontrollable cells (which is referred to as cancer) would never die even if they are supposed to. The uncontrollable cells still do cell divisions at rapid rates, which create more uncontrollable cells. Some cancer cells would not affect the human cell a lot such as benign tumors. However, most of the cancer cells are likely to cause harm and can move to other places in the human body to form secondary tumors by cell divisions such as malignant tumors and metastasis. For example, malignant tumors in lung cancer can make humans experience shortness of breath because cancer cells inhibit air to travel freely and bleed in the airway.
What Are Risk Factors to Create Cancer Cells?
Smoking is one of the greatest factors to increase the risk of lung cancer. Since smoking contains a high concentration of carcinogens that can cause an unnaturally high rate of mutations. In the same manner, exposure to secondhand smoke also is a risk factor for cancer cells. Radiation therapy such as X-rays and gamma rays might cause mutations in the human body and eventually lead to cancer as well. Too much exposure to ultraviolet rays might cause skin cancer because ultraviolet rays have strong energy to destroy and mutate the normal cells. Lastly, cancer might have a genetic reason, which means if your parents have lung, you have an especially high chance to get cancer as well. Although cancer is such a disastrous disease, there are a lot of ways to prevent cancer. Obviously, don’t smoke and even avoid secondhand smoke. Moreover, avoid carcinogens food such as ham and hot dogs but eat a healthy diet such as fruits and vegetables. I wish you get meaningful information for your life and please stay safe!
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lung-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20374620#:~:text=Lung%20cancer%20can%20cause%20complications,expand%20fully%20when%20you%20inhale.
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer
https://www.kindpng.com/imgv/hbwmRom_cancer-cell-clipart-immune-checkpoint-inhibitors-cartoon-hd/
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