• Question: Where did cancer develop from?

    Asked by Talitia to Clare, Glafkos, Paul on 18 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 18 Mar 2015:

      Cancer is when a cell grows out of control. Sometimes in our body we will create this type of cell but our body will destroy it. Other times this defect cell is not destroyed and then there will be an uncontrolled growth – and this is cancer.

      For example (I’m not a cancer expert!) radiation can cause cancer since the radiation will interact will the cell and damage its DNA ..this will alter the DNA cycle and uncontrolled growth will occur.

    • Photo: Glafkos Havariyoun

      Glafkos Havariyoun answered on 18 Mar 2015:

      Cancer develops when cell cycle goes wrong. Every cell has a cycle that it goes through. If something goes wrong with that cycle we have uncontrolled growth of bad cells and tumours appear.

      The first evidence of cancer we have is from Egyptian times! They have found mummies with bone cancer. In some of their scripts Egyptians did describe cancer as lumps and ulcers and how they tried to remove it! They said there was no treatment for this disease.

      I believe cancer existed from the beginning of humanity and animal life.

    • Photo: Paul Booker

      Paul Booker answered on 19 Mar 2015:

      Cancer is unregulated cell division, so it happens when a cell divides and goes wrong. So it isn’t a disease like others that we catch, it’s more a disease of just being alive. Other animals can get cancer too, so it really is just a part of being alive.

      The biggest risk factor for getting cancer is age. So the longer a person lives, the more likely to get cancer. That makes sense, because more cell divisions will have happened so are more likely to go wrong.

      There are things we can do to reduce our risk of cancer though, like not smoking, exercising and eating healthily!

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