| |
| SETU PINK & RED RIBBON
CLUB |
|
AIDS
and HIV CANCER |
|
|
| |
| Donations
form |
Characteristics
of Cancer |
Abnormality |
| Cells
are the structural units of all living things. Each of
us has trillions of cells, as does a growing tree.
Cells make it possible for us to carry out all kinds
of functions of life: the beating of the heart,
breathing, digesting food, thinking, walking, and so
on. However, all of these functions can only be
carried out by normal healthy cells. Some cells stop
functioning or behaving as they should, serving no
useful purpose in the body at all, and become
cancerous cells. |
|
| |
Uncontrollability |
The
most fundamental characteristic of cells is their
ability to reproduce themselves. They do this simply
by dividing. One cell becomes two, the two become
four, and so on. The division of normal and healthy
cells occurs in a regulated and systematic fashion. In
most parts of the body, the cells continually divide
and form new cells to supply the material for growth
or to replace worn-out or injured cells. For example,
when you cut your finger, certain cells divide rapidly
until the tissue is healed and the skin is repaired.
They will then go back to their normal rate of
division. In contrast, cancer cells divide in a
haphazard manner. The result is that they typically
pile up into a non-structured mass or tumor. |
Invasiveness |
| Sometimes
tumors do not stay harmlessly in one place. They
destroy the part of the body in which they originate
and then spread to other parts where they start new
growth and cause more destruction. This characteristic
distinguishes cancer from benign growths, which remain
in the part of the body in which they start. Although
benign tumors may grow quite large and press on
neighboring structures, they do not spread to other
parts of the body. Frequently, they are completely
enclosed in a protective capsule of tissue and they
typically do not pose danger to human life like
malignant tumors (cancer) do. |
A
group of diseases |
| Although
cancer is often referred to as a single condition, it
actually consists of more than 100 different diseases.
These diseases are characterized by uncontrolled
growth and spread of abnormal cells. Cancer can arise
in many sites and behave differently depending on its
organ of origin. Breast cancer, for example, has
different characteristics than lung cancer. It is
important to understand that cancer originating in one
body organ takes its characteristics with it even if
it spreads to another part of the body. For example,
metastatic breast cancer in the lungs continues to
behave like breast cancer when viewed under a
microscope, and it continues to look like a cancer
that originated in the breast.
For
more information, you can contact the AIDS
awareness coordinator. |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Regn No. 1313 (Book No 4 volume 1873) dt. 24/02/2003. |
| |
Copyright © 2007 All rights reserved . All trademarks, tradenames and copyrights are acknowledged. |
|
The Setu Foundation 
