A 30-year-old member asked:
What converts normal to cancer cells?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Gurmukh Singhanswered
Pathology 50 years experience
Multiple steps: Changes in the dna of cells, some changes may be inherited, increase the growth rate of cells and additional changes to the 'dna develop and select for more growth. Many incipient cancers probably die out in the process. As more dna changes promoting growth accumulate the abnormal cells become autonomous, invade and metastasize. On average a cancer has 90 dna changes/mutations.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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A 39-year-old member asked:
In what ways are cancer cells different than normal healthy cells?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Steven Ginsberganswered
Internal Medicine - Hematology & Oncology 38 years experience
See below: Cancer cells have escaped the normal controls that healthy cells have. This allows them to grow uncontrollably and to invade and destroy normal organs. They need alot of energy to grow, leading to malnutrition, as many of the calories we take in are used by the cancer to divide and to grow.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
How can the nanoparticles mainly only target cancer cells, not normal cells?
1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Ed Friedlanderanswered
Pathology 45 years experience
Surface receptors: These are a delivery system for medicines toxic to cells that get sent preferentially to cancer cells. There are a variety of articles on the subject. http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2012/cancer-particle-0404
3.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Jun 10, 2012
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