BIOLOGY 2D03 Lecture : The Genetic Basis of Human Cancer
28 Jan 2013
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The genetic basis of human cancer b. vogelstein. Tumor swelling of excess tissue: non-neoplastic cysts, neoplastic excess of cells, benign: non-invasive, not defined by size (polyps, adenomas, nevi, malignant = cancer: can be invasive (carcinomas, sarcomas, leukemias) Each metastatic tumor is about a million cells that came from one invasive cell that migrated. Many different types of cancer; several different kinds of tumors can form in each organ. Metastasis results in the overtaking and destruction of organs and vessels, leading to death. Essence of neoplasia: cell cycle control (cell birth, apoptosis control (cell death, ratio of cell birth to cell death in a normal adult is 1. If cell death is greater than cell birth, leads to atrophy. Even a tiny increase of cell birth relative to cell death results in net cell growth tumor (can take 20-30 years) Its progeny also predominate over other cells, leading to more waves of clonal expansion and so on.
