1. Cell cycle regulation

2. What causes cancer? A mutation (aka damage to the DNA)
Mutations accumulate over your lifetime and can eventually cause a problem.

3. Growth factors Proteins that either stimulate or block cell division
Example: Proteins called cyclins and enzymes regulate the cell cycle

4. Abnormal Cell Cycle: Cancer
The uncontrolled growth and division
of cells (a failure in the regulation of the cell cycle)
Cancer cells divide more often than healthy cells and may form tumors
Sometimes cancer cells break away from the tumor.
They can be carried in the blood stream to other parts of the body where they form new tumors.

5. Why are tumors harmful?
Cancer cells do not perform the specialized needs of the body
Examples:
Cancer cells in the lungs do not exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide
Cancer cells in the brain do not produce the electrical messages needed to interpret information
Cancer cells can exert pressure on surrounding organs