Somatic Evolution and Mutations with Cancer Cells
Somatic evolution is the accumulation of all the mutations in the cells of an organism throughout a lifespan. Understanding somatic evolution plays an important role in the science of aging and gives insight into the development of cancer (Boland, 2005). “The somatic mutation theory of aging posits that the accumulation of mutations in the genetic material of somatic cells as a function of time results in a decrease in cellular function” (Kennedy, 2011). In other words, as organisms progress through life their cells will ultimately begin to deteriorate due to changes in their genetic material.
Cancer is the term used to describe a group of diseases consisting of hundreds of ailments and although there exists so many different types of cancer, they all begin in a similar way. The body is made up of over a trillion cells, and cancer is the uncontrolled growth of malfunctioning cells in the body (Dawson, 1996). “Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person’s life, normal cells divide faster to allow the person to grow. After the person becomes an adult, most cells divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells or to repair injuries” (American Cancer Society, 2012).
Cancer starts when certain cells in the body are mutated or changed and begin to divide. Cancerous cells grow differently than normal cells, instead of progressing through the normal cell lifecycle, cancer cells continue to grow and create more abnormal cells. A specific trait of cancer cells is that they have the ability to infiltrate and grow into surrounding tissues, developing out of control and causing serious damage to the host (Vincent, 2008). Cells become cance...
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...ces throughout its entire life. With the inherent instability of genes coupled with the mutations and the need for more stem cells to replace damaged cells due to carcinogens, it seems almost inevitable that with enough time every living organism would at some point acquire cancer.
In conclusion, organisms have evolved to preserve a number of somatic cells for the purpose of maintaining their own genetic information. These stem cells not only play a key role in repairing and replacing damaged cells, but also serve a major purpose in passing genetic material through a germ line. Ultimately, “the slow and relentless accumulation of DNA damage and mutations eventually erodes away the genetic information that maintains homeostasis of the somatic cell population”, leading to the malfunctioning of cells and the evolution then of these dysfunctional cells (Kennedy, 2011).
Mutation, natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow: the four forces that make the evolution process work. Mutation happens when the DNA gene gets changed, moves, or is damaged. When this happens, it causes the genetic message to be carried by that gene to be different. This process can occur in somatic cells. The somatic cells are all the cells that are a living organism, except the reproductive cells, meaning the body.
The Hallmarks of Cancer written by Doughlas Hanahan and Robert A. Weinberg proposed the underlying principles and the essential characteristics of the development of human tumors. This article distilled all the existing research to depict the fundamental characteristics of cancer. Hanahan and Weinberge proposed six hallmarks shared among all cancers mentioned in this article includes supporting proliferative signaling, evading growth suppressor, resisting cell death, enabling replicative immortality, sustaining angiogenesis, and tissue invasion and metastasis. Four emerging hallmarks are also introduced in this article, depicting the current 10 underlying principles shared by cancerous cells. Hanahan and Weinberg also provided specific examples of potential mechanisms for the hallmarks. All of the mechanisms of hallmarks of cancer must be fulfilled in the development of cancerous cells.
Cancer starts almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells. Cancer cells develops then the process breaks down. As the cells become more and more abnormal; old or damaged cells survive when they should die and new cells form when they are not needed. The new cells then divide without stopping and may form growths called tumors. Cancerous tumors are malignant means they can spread into or invade nearby tissues. When the tumors grow, cancer cells break off and travel through distant places of the body. Cancer cells also invade the immune system a network of organs, tissues, and specialized cell the protects the body from infections and other conditions.Tumors can also use the immune system to stay alive. Cancer is a genetic disease that changes the our cells function and how the genes grow and
Over time there has been the discovery of many different type of cancer, which all begins in cells, that can be classified as a body’s form of basic building blocks. Cancer cells are essentially cells that have gone wrong, meaning they no longer generate responses to the signals, which control the human cellular developments. Cancer cells have a complex nature, due to its combination of various abnormalities that results in normal cells becoming cancer cells. Over time, cancel cells are developed within tissues and, as the tissues grow the cells grow and divide, resulting in the cells becoming resistant towards the signals that maintain the normal tissue production. In the final stages of cancer, the cancer cells are capable of breaking through normal tissue boundaries and metastasizing throughout the body.
Cancer is a group of more than 100 different diseases that are characterized by an uncontrolled cellular growth, local tissue invasion, and metastasis. (). When we are born we all are born with normal cells that grow until adulthood, we are also born with abnormal
According to Darwin and his theory on evolution, organisms are presented with nature’s challenge of environmental change. Those that possess the characteristics of adapting to such challenges are successful in leaving their genes behind and ensuring that their lineage will continue. It is natural selection, where nature can perform tiny to mass sporadic experiments on its organisms, and the results can be interesting from extinction to significant changes within a species.
Stem cells are controversial and a heavily debated research area of biology. They are basically the body 's master cells and embody important characteristics. According to Jordan, Guzman, and Noble, “stem cells have three distinctive properties: self renewal, the capability to develop into multiple lineages, and the potential to proliferate extensively” (1253). The characteristic of ...
Though the premise of the evolutionary biology of cancer is not a new topic, there has been a rise in studies focusing on this...
Cancer cells differ from normal cells in size, structure, function, and growth rate. These malignant cells lack the normal controls of growth seen in healthy cells, and grow uncontrollably. This uncontrolled growth allows the cancer cells to invade adjacent structures and then destroy surrounding tissues and organs. Malignant cells may also metastasize to other areas of the body through the cardiovascular or lymphatic systems. This uncontrolled growth and spread of cancer cells can eventually interfere with one or more of a person's vital organs or functions and possibly lead to death. The primary sites of cancer metastasis are the bone, the lymph nodes, the liver, the lungs, and the brain (McCance & Roberts, 1998).
Cancer develops when the body’s normal control mechanism stops working. The old cell does not die, but instead grows out of control forming new, abnormal, nonfunctional cells. They form mass of tissues called tumors. Some rare cancers does not form tumors.
There are several harmful diseases found in this world, some in which can be cured, some that have treatments and others that have been killing people for years now. Cancer, for example, is the name for a category of various diseases in which the characteristics and functions are changed in the body cells. Cancer is defined as the unwanted growth of cells who invade normal tissues and organs and eventually spread throughout the body. Although there are many kinds of cancer, all cancers harm the body when damaged cells divide uncontrollably to form lumps or abnormal growth of tissue called tumors. Tumors can grow and impede with various systems in the human body such as the nervous, circulatory, and digestive systems and can also release hormones that alter body function.
This is mostly caused by that every cancer is caused by a different set of gene mutations. Genes consist of a sequence of DNA, and each sequence is a set of chemical bases called nucleotides that are arranged in a very specific order. Together, they tell the cell how to manufacture proteins, and we are mostly just made up of proteins - so that’s how we build ourselves. Mutations change those instructions, and that’s where things start to go wrong. Now, we know by this point that cancers usually come from mutations of two kinds of genes, called oncogenes and tumor suppressors.
“Cancer is an intricate and potentially lethal collaboration of genes gone awry, of growth inhibitors gone missing, of hormones and epigenomes changing, and rogue cells breaking free.” There are many causes of cancer including genetics, tobacco, physical activity, UV exposure, radiation, and one's environment.
Cancer is evitable. It can happen to anyone and does not discriminate. In 2014, more than 1.5 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed, and almost 600,000 people died of cancer in the United States (CDC, 2017). The human body is made up of trillions of cells, and with cancer, it can start anywhere in the human body. As normal cells grow and divide to form new healthy cells needed by the body, cancer cells break this orderly process. Abnormal cancer cells create their own pattern, growing and dividing uncontrollably, and may form growths known as tumors (National Cancer Institute, 2015). Malignant tumors are cancerous and if left untreated, can be life threatening. A diagnosis of cancer can be such an overwhelming and stressful time for patients
As of 2014, an estimation of 1,665,540 people have been diagnosed with cancer in the United States alone. In the same year, 585,720 of those cancer patients will die. Everyone seems to be affected by cancer is some way; however, many people are not informed on what cancer is, how it can be prevented, and what alternative or natural treatments are available. Cancer is a general term for the uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells in different parts of the body that can spread to other parts of the body (Sarg and Gross). Cancer is not categorized as specifically one disease, but hundreds of diseases because cancer can occur in hundreds of places all over the body. Cancer is caused by a cell’s DNA being damaged and then the damaged cell multiplies. After the cells have doubled 30 times, which could take anywhere from a year to more than 40 years, a billion cells have built up into a tumor about 0.4 inch (1 cm) in size (Lyons). At this point of the cancer cell growth, the tumor can possibly be felt or exposed through an x-ray.