1. Cancer -cancer is unregulated and uncontrolled cell growth
-this is usually caused by damage to the instructions (nucleic acids) for cell growth
-proteins govern when cells divide and how often
-there are two different kinds of regulation when it comes to cell division:
-starting cell division
-stopping cell division

2. Cancer
-if any of those two regulating processes become broken, the cell will grow continuously without stopping
-if the process which starts cell division is
broken, it could lead to constant cell division
-if the process which stops cell division is
broken, it could lead to continuous cell
division without stopping

3. Cancer
-these processes can be broken in many different ways by things that can change the normal instructions / nucleic acids (DNA) in your cells
-genetics (your family history)
-factors also include, but are not limited to,
excessive exposure to:
-certain food chemicals such as artificial
sweeteners or colors
-other chemicals such as asbestos,
formaldehyde, and hair dyes
-radiation (sunlight, x-rays, etc)
-viruses such as hepatitis
-tobacco

4. Cancer
-cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood stream which can cause cancer to show up in other places in the body; this is known as metastasis
-treatments include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and the future may use viruses to target cancerous cells

5. Cancer Reflection
1. Based on what you have learned about how cancer can affect people and how it works, what are your thoughts on cancer?
2. Have you learned something new about cancer? What did you learn through this lesson?
3. Do you know anyone who has had cancer before? If so, how did the experience affect you? How did the experience affect the person you know?
4. Knowing how cancer works, what do you think can be done to stop cancer? What would be a realistic treatment that you think might work?
5. Are there ways that you could live your life differently now to prevent cancer in the future? What are they? Would you realistically do it? Why or why not?