Cellular Reproduction

Cellular Reproduction: Cancer Cells and Normal Cells

By: Jennefer Paddock

SCI 115

Date: November 5, 2011

Professor: Tamara Allen

Cellular Reproduction: Cancer Cells and Normal Cells

Gradually developing, cancer cells are immortal because they enter the cell cycle repeatedly. The cell cycle consists of interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. The cell cycle can be inhibited by cells coming into close contact with other cells, and contact inhibition prevents cells from overgrowing within the body. There are many differences between normal cells and cancer cells, there are certain cancers that show more aggressive growth, and mitotic indexes are used to compare the growth rates of different types of tissues.

There are many differences between normal cells and cancer cells, and this was demonstrated by data and observations gathered from the lab experiment. Normal cells stop dividing by way of contact inhibition; whereas, cancer cells do not. Normal cells contain specialized cells, and cancer cells lose their specialization. While normal cells contain normal chromosomes, cancer cells contain abnormal chromosomes because the nuclei are enlarged. Normal cells adhere to their neighbors, while cancer cells pile up and grow multiple layers. Lastly, normal cells undergo cell death, and cancer cells do not have the ability to respond to normal signals that trigger apoptosis.

There are certain cancers that show more aggressive growth than others. During the lab exercise, I noticed that out of lung cancer, stomach cancer, and ovary cancer, cancerous ovaries showed the most aggressive growth. When preparing the table to compare the other types of cancer cells, the cancer of the ovary had the highest cell division rate. In the cancerous t ovary, sixty percent of the cells contained in the sample tissue were at rest, or during interphase. The cancerous ovary had the highest rate for cell division, which was at forty percent. The cancerous lung had...