Wendy Barkley Assign #5

Cancer and Mitosis

Mitosis is a complex and important biological process. New cells are continually needed by a body, the human body needs about three hundred million new cells every minute and these cells come only by mitosis. Errors in the prior replication of the genome process of separating the cell into two halves can have serious consequences for the organism and its offspring. Cancer is essentially a disease related to mitosis, involving uncontrollable cell reproduction.
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Mitosis

The process in cell division in eukaryotes in which the nucleus divides to produce two new nuclei, each having the same number and type of chromosomes as the original. Prior to mitosis, each chromosome is replicated to form two identical strands (called chromatids). As mitosis begins, the chromosomes line up along the center of the cell by attaching to the fibers of the cell spindle. The pairs of chromatids then separate, each strand of a pair moving to an opposite end of the cell. When a new membrane forms around each of the two groups of chromosomes, division of the nucleus is complete. The four main phases of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase

Cancer and mitosis are closely related. Mitosis is the process by which cells reproduce, and without it cancerous cells wouldnt be able to form tumors and spread through the body. Cancer starts in the bodys cells. All of our organs and tissues are made up of cells. Each cell contains genes that determine how the cell grows, functions, and eventually dies. Cancer starts with one normal cell changing into a cancerous cell this may be due to a
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Farlex inc., Mitosis, The Free Dictionary, 2013, http//www.freedictionary.com, 9/29/13

mutation in the cells DNA that affects its growth. Once a cell in the body has changed in this way it tends to multiply at a much more rapid rate than normal and the bad cancerous cells pile up. They undergo uncontrolled abnormal mitosis. These renegade cells escape the normal controls of mitotic cell division. This mass of cancer cells is called a tumor and it grows it releases proteins into the body to attract blood vessel growth to supply it with a steady stream of glucose and oxygen. Cancer cells that have broken away from the tumor travel through the bloodstream and are taken to different parts of the body. From there they can start new tumors. This is a process known as metastases. In conclusion, without the process of mitosis there would be no cancer. Unlike normal cells in the body, which multiply up to a set number of times and the die, cancerous cells continue to reproduce indefinitely as long as they have a regular supply of food and oxygen. Cancer cells also have an unusual appearance and behavior. Mitosis inhibits cancer however it also makes new cells, which we need for a healthy active life.

lung cancer cell