A healthy cell has a life cycle of growth, division, and death. But a cancer cell is abnormal and it doesn’t follow this growth, division, and death stages. Cancer cells reproduce and spread more abnormal cells instead of dead cells as it can invade nearby tissue. Cancer cells can also go throughout the blood and lymph systems to other parts of the body.
Let’s consider more details about what it takes for a normal cell to become cancerous, and what you have to do to lower your risk of growing cancer.
Cancer cells reproduce and spread more abnormal cells instead of dead cells as it can invade nearby tissue. Cancer cells can also go throughout the blood and lymph systems to other parts of the body.
Let’s consider more details about what it takes for a normal cell to become cancerous, and what you have to do to lower your risk of growing cancer.
Does everyone have cancer cells in their body?
No, there are no cancer cells in everyone’s body.
Human bodies are continuously producing new cells. Some of the cells which have the potential to become cancerous or abnormal. At any moment our bodies are producing cells that have damaged DNA, but we can’t say they have destined to become cancer.
Mostly, human cells with damaged DNA either reset or repair themselves or die off through apoptosis. The probability of cancer happens when neither of those things happens.
What are the key differences between cancer cells and normal cells?
In very briefly, normal cells have obeyed with instructions and commands in our bodies. Cancer cells don’t follow instructions as normal.
Normal cells have the ability to grow up and divide only as needed of the human body to replace damaged or aging cells. Also, there are specialized functions of mature cells. Once normal human cells were fulfilling their purpose, cells die off and completing their life cycle.
Cancer cells have mutated or abnormal genes and are low specialized than normal human cells. Cancer cells don’t obey the regular routine instructions. Either needed or not mutated cells grow and divide and don’t die off when they should as normal cells. There is an out of control growth of this that leads to cancer.
Cancer cells pile up and it caused to form tumors and spread into around the tissue. These mutated or cancer cells can also break away and travel through to other parts of the body.
Also, cancer cells can affect the behavior of our normal cells and it is a very difficult problem. The damaged cells could affect healthy cells around them to grow with new blood vessels in order to keep cancerous tumors supplied with nutrients. Cancer cells may often evade the immune system by inhibiting immune cells from differentiating them from other normal cells.
What’s the difference between benign and malignant cells?
There could be seen a big difference between benign and malignant cells.
Mainly, Benign cells are not cancerous. These cells sometimes overproduce and form tumors in the body, but benign cells don’t have the ability to invade other tissue. They’re not life-threatening commonly, but they can grow too large more than normal cells or push into an organ. As an example that can consider a benign brain tumor can be dangerous. When a benign tumor is removed there is a low probability growing again. Since benign cells are not increasing then, there is no need going for a treatment to prevent the benign cells from growing again.
Malignant cells are very dangerous. Those are cancerous and potentially life-threatening. Malignant cells can invade nearby tissues and spread throughout the human body. When a malignant tumor is removed but there is still risk because mostly may be any cells left behind our body can make result in new growth. It is the main reason for cancer that needs some additional treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation to seek out and kill the cancer cells throughout the body.
What causes cancer?
Cancer is linked to cells with damaged DNA. Between all of the cancers that could be seen 5% to 10% percent of cancers are linked with inherited genetic mutations. Having one of these genetic mutations increases in your body that may lead to the risk of developing cancer but it is not an inevitable factor.
You can also acquire genetic mutations through other factors. Those are,
- Smoking chemicals of tobacco (cigarette)
- ultraviolet (UV) rays that come from sunlight or tanning beds
- exposure to radiation, including radiation treatment
- a poor diet such as eating a lot of processed meat
- physical inactivity
- alcohol misuse
- Exposure to chemicals such as radon, lead, and asbestos.
- infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis
The key reason is that when developing cancer in a person’s body can’t always be identified. If there is a combination of factors that leads to cancer and if a cell has a mutation that may occur to pass it on every cell it produces.
What you have to do to reduce the risk of cancer?
You cannot eliminate the risk of cancer completely but there are some steps and activities that can reduce your risk.
- Avoid tobacco. Tobacco means all of the cigars, cigarettes, pipes, and smokeless products. Smoking is caused one out of every three cancer deaths in the US.
- Get regular cancer screenings. Some screenings such as pap smears and colonoscopies can identify abnormal or mutated cells before they have the chance to turn cancerous. From other screenings such as mammograms that can realize localized cancer cells before they start to spread and increasing in the body.
- Drink alcohol in moderation. Alcoholic drinks are increasing the risk of cancer because those drinks contain ethanol. Alcohol drinks should be limited as one drink per day for women and two for men.
- Protect your skin from the sun. Avoid UV rays by covering your skin and using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least an SPF 30. Try to avoid spending time in the midday sun and avoid the use of tanning beds or sun lamps.
- Stick to a healthy, balanced diet. Try to increase the intake of plenty of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains in your regular diet plan. Avoid processed foods, sugars, red meats, and processed meats.
- Exercise. Physical inactivity can make the risk of cancer. Try to do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercises or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.
Talk to your doctor about vaccines that will help you to minimize the risk of certain cancers.
HPV can transmit in sexually (STI). This infection is transmitted through skin to another skin contact. This infection can cause cervical, genital, and head and neck cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends Trusted Source the HPV vaccine for most people aged 9 to 26.
There’s also a vaccine for hepatitis B, a viral infection that can lead to the risk of liver cancer.
Talk to your doctor about your cancer risk and other steps you can take to lower your cancer risks.
Conclusion
It is good to know that every person has not cancer cells in our bodies. The sheer amount of cells your body constantly produces means that there is always the possibility of some cells may be damaged or mutated but even have those damaged cells won’t necessarily turn into cancer.
Cancer typically derives from damage to DNA through inherited genetic mutations or something that people are exposed to in their daily life.
Also, we cannot control genetic mutations but some of our lifestyle changes can help lower the risk of growing cancer that consists of getting certain cancer screenings to stop cancer before it starts.
