This Article will Directly Affect 1 in 4 of you: a Primer on Cancer

Arshad Chaudhry | Pages 63-69 | BioTeach Online Journal | Vol. 1 | Fall 2003

Over 100 different diseases – each of which is characterized by uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells – are collectively called cancer. Abnormal cell proliferation is necessary, although often insufficient alone, for tumor formation. It is the increase in tumor cell number, and thus the tumor burden, that ultimately accounts for the adverse effects on the host. Cancer cells are characterized by two heritable properties: they and their progeny (a) reproduce in defiance of the normal restraints, and (b) invade and colonize other tissues. Both of these features make cancers peculiarly dangerous.