How Cells become Cancer?

When we heard the word cancer the first thing that come in our mind are, that this is a deadly disease. Sometimes, certain types of cancer seem to run in some families, heredity. because of the members of the family have certain risk factors in common, a genetic predisposition to a type of cancer, means they are more likely to develop that type of cancer than most other people who is not, they are more at risk of cancer because they have been born with one of the mutations that starts to make a cell cancerous, an abnormal gene that is being passed from generation to generation of the family, that is why some people wonder when they got cancer.

Scanning electron microscopy image of a lymphocyte (from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_cell)

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease of abnormal gene function. Genes are pieces of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). They contain the instructions on how to make the proteins the body needs to function, when to destroy damaged cells, and how to keep the cells in balance. Our genes control things such as hair color, eye color, and height. They also can affect our chance of getting certain diseases, such as cancer. Our DNA gene sound like a commander inside of our body

How cancer starts?

The body is made up of trillions of living cells. As I say, Normal body cells grow, divide to make new cells, and die in an orderly way. 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 injury.

Cancer starts when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. Cancer cell growth is different from normal cell growth. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells. Cancer cells can also invade (grow into) other tissues, something that normal cells cannot do. Growing out of control and invading other tissues are what makes a cell a cancer cell.

How cancer spreads?

Cancer cells often travel to other parts of our body where they can grow and form new tumors. This happens when the cancer cells get into our body’s bloodstream or lymph vessels. Over time, the tumors replace normal tissue, crowd it, or push it aside. This process of cancer spreading is called metastasis. 

How Cancer cell spread (www.cancerresearch.org)

What is the Difference between normal cells and cancer cell?

A Normal cell. 

• Normal cells reproduce themselves exactly when more cells are needed by our body; some cells double up to increase their numbers and do this very precisely so that the new cells are exactly the same as the old ones. Each cell makes copies of all its genes. Then it splits into two with one set of genes in each new cell.
• Normal Cells Stop reproducing at the right time normal growth and healing is very orderly and precise. The cells know when there are enough new cells to mend a cut or when a structure such as a finger is fully grown. They send chemical messages to each other so that they stop growing and reproducing when growth or healing is complete.
• Normal Cells Stick together in the right place it seems the cells have a natural ability to stick together in the right place. Scientists call this cell adhesion. Molecules on the surface of the cell match those on its neighbors. It is like the cell has a nest that they cannot leave to move to the other nest. But if they do find themselves in a place where their nest is different from their neighbors, they die.
• Normal Cells self destruct if they are damaged, if the genes of the cell are very badly damaged, or it has broken away from its proper place, it wills self destruct. This is called 'apoptosis'.
• Normal cell become specialized or become 'mature'

Cancer cells. 

• Cancer Cells don't die if they move to another part of the body and
• Cancer Cells Don’t stop reproducing they have doubled 50 or 60 times.  'Immortal'. As Scientists described it.
• Cancer cells don't obey signals from other cells sound like they overrides the normal signalling system. So they keep on producing, regardless of the damage the extra cells cause to the part of the body where the cancer is growing.
• Cancer cells don't stick together they can lose the molecules on their surface that keep normal cells in the right place.
• Cancer cells don't specialize, but stay immature they tend to reproduce more quickly and even more with no plan.

How the cells become cancer?

Cells become cancer cells because of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) damage. DNA is in every cell and it directs all its actions. In a normal cell, when DNA is damaged the cell either repairs the damage or the cell dies. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired, but the cell doesn’t die like it should. Instead, the cell goes on making new cells that the body doesn’t need. These new cells all have the same damaged DNA as the first abnormal cell does.

Why cell become abnormal or the DNA damage that cause Cancer?

An abnormal change in a gene is called a mutation mutation means that a gene has been damaged or lost. Two types of mutations are inherited and acquired (somatic).

• Inherited gene mutation is passed from parent to child through the egg or sperm. These mutations are in every cell in the body.
• Acquired (somatic) mutations are not present in the egg or sperm. These mutations are acquired at some point in the person's life, and are more common than inherited mutations. This type of mutation occurs in one cell, and then is passed on to any new cells that are the offspring of that cell.

Genes and mutation

Genes are coded messages inside a cell that tell it how to behave. Different genes tell the cell how to make different proteins. One gene codes for one protein. Each cell has many genes and can therefore make many different proteins. Proteins are the building blocks that make up a cell. Some proteins act as on and off switches that help to control how a cell behaves.

How mutations happen?

Mutations can happen by chance when a cell is reproducing. It is not easy for a normal cell to turn into a cancer cell. There have to be about half a dozen different mutations before this happens. Cells often destroy themselves if they have a mutation. Or the immune system might recognize them as abnormal and kill them. This means most precancerous cells die before they can cause cancer. Only a small number of the changes turn into a cancer. There is detailed information in our section about the immune system.

Where our genes found?

Genes are found on long strands of DNA called chromosomes.  Humans has 23 pairs of chromosomes in each cell. We inherit one set of chromosomes from each parent. Each chromosome can contain hundreds or thousands of genes that are passed from the parents to the child. Every cell in your body has all of the genes you were born with. Although all cells have the same genes and chromosomes, different cells (or types of cells) may use different genes. Like, muscle cells use a different set of genes than skin cells use. The genes that the cell doesn't need are turned off and not used. The genes that the cell is using are activated or turned on.

There are three different types of genes that are important in making a cell cancerous.

• Genes that repair other damaged genes (DNA repair genes)
• Genes that encourage the cell to multiply (oncogenes)
• Genes that stop the cell multiplying (tumor suppressor genes)

Genes that repair other damaged genes - Genes normally repair any damage to the DNA that makes up the cell's genes. If these DNA repair genes are damaged, then other mutations are not repaired and the cell can copy the mutations when it divides and multiplies. These genes have been found to be damaged in some human cancers, including bowel cancer.

Oncogenes - are mutated forms of certain normal genes of the cell called proto-oncogenes. Proto-oncogenes are often genes that normally control what kind of cell it is and how often it grows and divides. When a proto-oncogene mutates (changes) into an oncogene, it turns on or activates when it is not supposed to be. When this occurs, the cell can grow out of control, leading to cancer.

Tumor suppressor - genes are normal genes that slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or tell cells when to die (a process known as apoptosis or programmed cell death). When tumor suppressor genes don’t work properly, cells can grow out of control, which can lead to cancer.

Even if you were born with healthy genes, some of them can become changed (mutated) over the course of your life. These mutations are known as sporadic or somatic, meaning they are not inherited. Sporadic mutations cause most cases of cancer. These mutations may be caused by things that we are exposed to in our environment, including cigarette smoke, radiation, hormones, and diet (although in many cases there is no obvious cause). More gene mutations build up as we get older, leading to a higher risk of cancer.

When someone has inherited an abnormal copy of a gene, their cells already start out with one mutation. This makes it all the easier (and quicker) for enough mutations to build up for a cell to become cancer. That is why cancers that are inherited tend to occur earlier in life than cancers of the same type that are not inherited.

When should we worry?

When many cases of cancer occur in a family, it is most often due to chance or because family members have been exposed to a common toxin, such as cigarette smoking. Less often, these cancers may be caused by an inherited gene mutation. Cancer in a close relative, like a parent or sibling is more cause for concern than cancer in a more distant relative. Even if the cancer was from a gene mutation, the chance of it passing on to you gets lower with more distant relatives. 

Certain things make it more likely that an abnormal gene is causing cancers in a family, such as;

• Kidney Cancer an uncommon or rare type of cancer
• Colon cancer occurring at younger ages than usual, 20 years old
• Woman with both Breast and Ovarian Cancer one type of cancer in a single person. A woman who has a first-degree relative (a mother, sister, or daughter) with breast cancer is about twice as likely to develop breast cancer as a woman without a family history of this cancer.
• Both Kidneys, Both Breasts Cancers occurring in both of a pair of organs
• Sarcoma in both a brother and a sister a cancer in a set of siblings

Other cause of cancer other than heredity

• Cigarette smoking that linked with an increased risk of these cancers:
• Lung Larynx (voice box) Oral cavity (mouth, tongue, and lips) Nose and sinuses Pharynx (throat) Esophagus (tube connecting the throat to the stomach) Stomach Pancreas Cervix Kidney Bladder Ovary (a type called mucinous ovarian cancer) Colorectum (the colon and/or the rectum) Acute myeloid and leukemia.
• Diet and Physical Activity: - Research has shown that poor diet and not being active are 2 key factors that can increase a person’s cancer risk.
• Many of us eat too much red and processed meat and not enough fresh fruit and vegetables. This type of diet is known to increase the risk of cancer.
• Apart from infectious diseases, most illnesses (including cancer) are multifunctional. There is no single cause for any one type of cancer.
• Age - Most types of cancer become more common as we get older. This is because the changes that make a cell become cancerous in the first place take a long time to develop.
• Genetic make up - There need to be a number of genetic mutations within a cell before it become cancerous. Sometimes a person is born with one of these mutations already. This doesn't mean they will definitely get cancer. But with one mutation from the start, it makes it more likely statistically that they will develop cancer during their lifetime. This called genetic predisposition. like colon (large bowel) cancer.
• The immune system - People who have problems with their immune systems are more likely to get some types of cancer. like the one who Have had organ transplants and take drugs to suppress their immune systems to stop organ rejection, those who Have HIV or AIDS Are born with rare medical syndromes which affect their immunity
• Cancers that are caused by viruses, such as cervical cancer and other cancers of the genital or anal area, some lymphomas, liver cancer and stomach cancer Lymphomas
• Chronic infections or transplanted organs can continually stimulate cells to divide. This continual cell division means that immune cells are more likely to develop genetic faults and develop into lymphomas.
• Day to day environment by mean what is around you each day that may help to cause cancer. Like Tobacco smokes the sun Natural and man-made radiation Work place hazards Asbestos some of these are avoidable and some aren't. 
• Many people can be infected with a cancer causing virus, and never get cancer. The virus only causes cancer in certain situations.
• Bacterial infection - Bacterial infections have not been thought of as cancer causing agents in the past. But studies have shown that people who have helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection of their stomach develop inflammation of the stomach lining, which increases the risk of stomach cancer. 
• Helicobacter pylori infection can be treated with a combination of antibiotics.

How to prevent cancer? Some simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference. Consider these cancer prevention tips.

• Avoid tobacco - Tobacco puts you on a collision course with cancer. We know Smoking has been linked to various types of cancer, cancer of the lung, bladder, cervix and kidney. Oral cavity and pancreas. Even the second hand smoke might increase your risk of lung cancer.
• Eat a healthy diet - Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Base your diet on fruits, vegetables and other foods from plant sources — such as whole grains and beans. Limit fat. Eat lighter and leaner by choosing fewer high-fat foods, particularly those from animal sources.
• Maintain a healthy weight and be physically active - Maintaining a healthy weight and Physical activity might lower the risk of various types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, prostate, lung, colon and kidney.
• Protect yourself from the sun - Avoid midday sun. Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest. Stay in the shade. When you're outdoors, stay in the shade as much as possible. Sunglasses and a broad-rimmed hat help, too. Cover exposed areas. Wear tightly woven, loose fitting clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible. Opt for bright or dark colors, which reflect more ultraviolet radiation than pastels or bleached cotton. Don't skimp on sunscreen.
• Get immunization against viral infection.
• Practice safe sex - Limit your number of sexual partners, and use a condom when you have sex. The more sexual partners you have in your lifetime, the more likely you are to contract a sexually transmitted infection
• Regular self-exams and screenings for various types of cancers ask your doctor about the best cancer screening schedule for you.

Take cancer prevention into your own hands, starting today. The rewards will last a lifetime.

How God made our body who may know the phenomenon happening in the inside of our body, even the scientist can’t find it how our cell doing in our body, about cancer cell, what makes a cell self destruct? If they found they may know the cure for cancer but only God knows.  He says, "the hidden things belong to the Lord God but the revealed things are for us and for our children forever, to observe all the worlds of this law" (Deu 29:29)

Sources:

• http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/in-depth/cancer-prevention/art-20044816
• http://m.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/what-is-cancer
• http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/cells/how-cancer-starts
• http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/causes-symptoms/causes/what-causes-cancer