Question

In the absence of being about to directly detect mutant genes within cancer cells, what types of observations allow one to infer that cancer is a disease of mutant cells? Provide at least two types of observations.

Answer 1

Cancer is a disease which can effect any type of tissue in the body at any age. Cancer begins when the body's normal cell loses its controlled cell cycle and cell proliferating mechanisms and divides uncontrollably, invading other tissues of the body.This can be trggered by a variety of reasons like radiations,viruses,chemicals etc.

When a normal cell becomes cancerous, it also appears different from a normal cell.

for instance, in cancer cells the nucleus appears to fill up the entire volume of the cell whereas,in normal cells nucleus may be occupying one-fifth of its volume.

Also in case of skin cancer, the cells that lead to cancer does not produce the protein keratin, which otherwise is present in normal epithelial cells.

A large number of tumor cells will appear to be engaged in mitosis,whereas mitosis itself is a rare event for normal tissue cells.

If grown in culture, cancer cells show ambiguous characteristics like, it does not depend on contact inhibition and growth factors in the environment. They proliferate indefinately.

The cell biology of cancer cells also helps to distinguish it from normal tissue cells