Cancer: The Virulent Disease Essay

The majority of the studies done on the link between diet and cancer indicate that there is a relationship between high fat intake and an increased risk

Cancer is a genetic disease caused by certain changes to genes that control the way our cells function, especially how they grow and divide. Genes carry the instructions to make proteins, which do much of the work in our cells. Certain gene changes can cause cells to evade normal growth controls and become cancer. Genetic changes that promote cancer can be inherited from our parents if the changes are present in germ cells, which are the reproductive cells of the body (eggs and sperm). Such changes, called germline changes, are found in every cell of the offspring. In general, cancer cells have more genetic changes than normal cells. But each person’s cancer has a unique combination of genetic alterations.

Cancer is defined as a disease caused by an uncontrollable division of abnormal cells in a part of the body. Cancer can be caused by many variables in one’s environment and the variables that are more likely to cause cancer are often referred to carcinogens. Carcinogens are harmful factors that can increase one’s chance of developing a form of cancer. Carcinogens can be anything from ultra violet rays to dust particles from wood; tobacco is one of the most well-known carcinogens because it increases one’s chances of developing lung cancer by a stagger amount. The reason tobacco has the ability to make such an impact is because tobacco contains more than 70 carcinogens altogether. When it comes down to it, the carcinogens are all working together

The risk factors of pancreatic cancer are habits that most Americans have developed and can not seem to break. There are five major risk factors that people should consider which include the following; Genetics, Diabetes, Smoking, Obesity and Diet (Wax, 2012). Pancreatic cancer runs in five to ten percent of people who have immediate family members who have also had it (Wax, 2012). Different genes have been indicated as risk but no “pancreatic cancer gene” has yet been discovered (Wax, 2012). “People with diabetes develop Pancreatic cancer about twice as often then people without it” (Margolis, 2002, p.497) and the two diseases have been linked (Wax, 2012). Tobacco use is known to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer (Cancer Research UK, 2013). Smoking will double the risk in developing the disease (Wax, 2012). People, who quit smoking, can reduce the risk of pancreatic, lung, mouth, and certain other cancers and diseases. It is a known fact that people with a body mass index ( BMI) higher

Cancer results from abnormal, unregulated cell growth which can create physiological impairments in body tissues (1). Two adverse characteristics of cancer cells include the ability to invade other tissues and the inability to die (2). Cells generally become cancerous due to changes in gene expression and subsequent errors in protein function (2). These faults in genes and physiology can be caused by mutations which can result from exposure to carcinogens. One of the most common substances associated with carcinogens (though not carcinogenic itself) that promotes cancerous growth is nicotine (3). Nicotine has been shown to stimulate growth, promote the creation of blood vessels (angiogenesis), and prevent cell death through nicotinic acetycholine receptors (nAChRs)(3). In mice, for example, nicotine increased levels of angiogenesis by altering mechanisms involved in a heightened response of the COX-2, prostacyclin, VEGFR-2, MMPs, uPA, and e-NOS protein activity (3). These increases in cell sensitivity to these particular factors stimulated by nicotine promoted cell growth and migration to other tissues (3).

People with certain risk factors may be more likely than others to develop cancer of the pancreas. Some risk factors that may increase the chance of getting cancer of the pancreas include smoking tobacco, the most important risk factor for pancreatic cancer. People with diabetes, family history with pancreatic cancer increases the risk of developing the disease, inflammation of the pancreas and having pancreatitis for a long time. Overweight or obese people may likely than other people to develop pancreatic cancer. Possible risk factors being studied include, diet high in animal fat and heavy drinking of alcoholic beverages. “Another area of active research is whether certain genes increase the risk of disease. Many people who get pancreatic cancer have none of these risk factors, and many people who have known risk factors don’t develop the disease”.(pg. 7).

All living things are made up of cells yet, these "building blocks of life" are too minute to be seen by the naked human eye. How is it then that something so small can have such a huge impact on one’s life? Our genes undergo certain mutations that may evoke diseases or abnormalities in our bodies such as; mucinous carcinoma of the breast. However, as science progresses and new treatments are found, the cure for cancer and other mutations is within reach. Although mucinous carcinoma of the breast may pose as an unpredictable malady, it is a very rare cancer, has multiple treatment options, and puts a new perspective on life for the people that have it and their loved ones.

There are twelve major types of cancer that affect most Americans and they can be related by the mutation of genes. Cancer is not just one disease, but a massive group with over 100 diseases by unrestrained and vicarious growth of the cells in the body and have the ability of the cells to propagate. One out of every four Americans will die from cancer. It is the second leading cause of death in this country, surpassed only by heart disease. Five to ten percent of cancer are genetic and hereditary. 1.2 million new cases are found in every year the United States, “Men have a one in two lifetime risk of developing cancer, and for women the risk is one in three” (Freivogel 201).

All cancers arise as a result of changes that have occurred in the DNA sequence of the cell genomes, occurring through chromosome abnormalities (Stratton, Campbell, and Futreal, 2009). Chromosomes are made up of tightly wound DNA and proteins which form a highly condensed tertiary structure. Chromosomal abnormalities are a prominent characteristic of cancer cells, often resulting from nondisjunction, the failure of chromosomes to separate properly during meiosis (Peña-Diaz et al., 2012). Nondisjunction results in cells that have too many or too few chromosomes. A normal human karyotype would contain forty-four autosomes and two sex chromosomes; each chromosome has a homologous pair. Females

Disease is defined as a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment. Simplified, disease is when something goes wrong with the body of an organism due to either a genetic, or external situation. When it comes to disease, genetics is one of the most important factors. It is known that diseases like heart disease, asthma, cancer, and diabetes (all of which are very common) can run in families. However, rare diseases like

In the article, the author is trying to prove that the high amount of dietary sugar in typical western diet would increase the risk of breast cancer and metastasis to the lungs. According to Co-author, Lorenzo Cohen, “Dietary sugar induces 12-LOX signaling to increase risks for breast cancer development and metastasis”. This means that the sugar in western diets, such as soda and fast food causes 12-LOX production to increase, which would also increase the risks for breast cancer and metastasis. When a lot of dietary sugar is consumed, the sugar would have an effect on an enzymatic signaling pathway called 12-LOX which can cause breast cancer. The consumption of sweetened beverages has also increased in the United States, which is a prime contributor to obesity, heart disease, and cancer. The author made the topic more interesting by including the serious diseases that can be caused by the western-sugary diets.

If there are mutations of the oncogene, then there will be uncontrolled cell division and therefore tumour formation will occur. However, the chances of the tumour developing into a benign tumour is unlikely as the tumours must break free and invade nearby tissue and this is life threatening. The chances of this happening is slim, however, due to the increased longevity of humans in the recent century, the chances of cancer will therefore increase. The signs of growth are practical abilities that permit malignancy cells to survive, duplicate and spread. Harm to cell DNA is included in mutagenesis and the improvement of malignancy. The DNA in a human cell experiences a few thousand to a million harming occasions for every day, created by both outside (exogenous) and inside metabolic (endogenous) forms. Changes to the phone genome can produce blunders in the interpretation of DNA and resulting interpretation into proteins

When I was just 8 years old I was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian germ cell cancer. At a very young age I had been placed in a whole new world of sadness and loss. I am currently 14 and have been cancer free for 6 years but I feel the pain every day. I lost way too many friends from cancer to count and every year I loose more. There was one friend in particular that I don’t go a day without thinking about. He was diagnosed at age 4. My mom met his family through Facebook. She is always is doing something for someone and this little guy had just been diagnosed with cancer, so we went up to the hospital to visit him and his family. There was an instant click between us and from that point on I loved him like he was my own brother.

Yet, sometimes this cell typos hit the wrong place and they damage are genes. Overtime, these cells divide themselves and increase risk of cancer. This may explain why the risks of cancer usually increase in older people vs young. Many people do everything they can to reduce the risk of getting cancer yet, after this research some people may think of giving up because there is good chance they will get it any way. They live healthy and do not smoke but the still get.

Cancer is often conceived as a single disease. The general idea of cancer deals with the proliferation of cell division amounting into tumors. The cause of cancer and how it’s treated is what scientists have spent decades trying to understand. In recent decades, scientists have been effective in characterizing the “hallmarks” of cancer and better understanding the disease through the use of molecular biology techniques. Additionally, scientists have been successful in understanding the influence that environmental factors and genetics play in the progression of cancer. Cancer is now understood to be caused by the mutation of genes leading to the activation/inactivation