Cancer encompasses more than a hundred diseases that begin when the body’s cells start growing uncontrollably. Lumps known as ‘tumors’ can form, aid in the destruction of nearby tissues, and even metastasize to other bodily parts.
Due to the genomic changes that occur, cancer cells are fundamentally distinct from normal cells. These changes allow cancer cells to grow faster and not stick together like normal cells. Everyday cells, for instance, can self-regulate their growth upon contact with other cells. In contrast, cancer cells continuously divide and can migrate to other sites in the body.
The cells that make up a cancerous tumor are distinctly unique compared to regular cells, as described in the blog ‘The Cellular Basis of Cancer: Understanding the Anatomy of Malignant Cells.’ This information is essential for better understanding cancer. Researchers are actively uncovering the mechanisms of cancer cells to develop effective methods that reduce the impact of cancer during patient treatment.
What Defines Cancer Cells?
Before developing cancer, cells are normal cells. They later change due to some changes in their genes. These changes exhibit the behavior of cells to perform very differently than healthy cells. Following are the significant differences between healthy cells and cancerous ones:
Characteristics Which Makes a Cell Cancerous
- Growth Without Controls: Compared to a normal cell, cancerous cells tend to grow and split at a much faster pace. They fail to recognize signals that indicate they should stop growing, leading to the formation of a large mass of tissues known as a tumor.
- Contact Inhibition Is Overturned: Cells tend to stop growing when they touch one another. However, this rule does not apply to cancer cells, and they continue increasing in number, even when they are densely populated.
- Enhanced Movement: Cancer cells’ cord-like projections make it easier for them to move freely, unlike normal cells. This free movement helps the cells migrate to different locations within the body, which is why new tumors can be formed in varying body parts. This process is referred to as metastasis.
All the mentioned differences make controlling cancerous cells more complex than treating normal cells, complicating cancer.
Morphological Features of Malignant Cells
Abnormalities increase in the neoplastic cell, and insight into these abnormalities reveals information regarding how cancer cells function.
- Nuclear Abnormalities: Cancer cells display distinct characteristics that relate to the tumor’s progression. The most outstanding abnormality exhibited by cancer cells is found in the nucleus. Most cancer cells contain heterogeneously large and irregular nuclei. The shape borders on rough, unlike the well-balanced round nuclei of normal cells. In addition, red blood cell nucleoli, which are components of the nucleus, have abnormal increases in cancer. This indicates that the cells are overproducing and assists in faster cell proliferation.
- Cytoplasmic Changes: The global outlook inside the cell is also an aspect of neoplastic changes. The cytoplasm in cancer cells tends to have strands of free ARNA separated by vacant spots known as vacuoles. Cancer cells possess increased ribosomal RNA, so they appear darker when stained than normal cells. This serves to distinguish cancerous cells from normal ones.
- Surface Alterations: Finally, the surface of cancer cells, the plasma membrane, has modifications that allow them to invade other tissues. One alteration is that cancer cells may lose adhesion to one another, which permits them to move more easily and metastasize. They may also have some other peculiar proteins on their surface that facilitate their binding to distant sites for continued growth.
These peculiar characteristics of cancer cells are very important for scientists and doctors as they help them develop different methods of treating cancer.
Genetic Alterations in Cancer Cells
Like superheroes who took a turn for the worse, cancer cells result from specific changes in the genes or, more so, traits of ‘mutations.” These mutations are capable of outgrowing everything. The most crucial characteristics to be concerned with are ‘oncogenes’ and ‘tumor suppressor genes.’ Due to mutations, oncogenes can get out of control, increasing cellular reproduction. Conversely, tumor suppressor genes can mutate sometimes and become unresponsive to rapid cellular reproduction. This is akin to a brake-less car.
A major difficulty in cancer cells is chromosomal instability. Broken pieces of chromosomes or an incorrect count of chromosomes can add to the trouble. These mistakes can cause more mutations, resulting in difficulty in treating the cancer. All in all, these changes to the genes highlight just how complex cancer is and the need to work towards finding new treatments to alleviate the suffering of those whose health is deteriorating.
Metabolic Changes in Cancer Cells
Cancer cells are like plants that grow at an extraordinary rate, and they require a lot of energy to sustain themselves. This is achieved by dysregulated metabolism, also referred to as the Warburg Effect, where these cells utilize and prefer glycolysis to produce energy, depending on its availability. During this process, energy is obtained faster, while essential building blocks are made for sustenance.
Furthermore, nutrient consumption for cancer cells is more significant than for normal cells because glucose, a type of sugar, and amino acids, a protein form, are more readily available. Therefore, these cells can grow even faster by consuming more significant amounts of these nutrients.
Cancerous cells can communicate with tissues to stimulate the creation of new blood vessels to benefit from oxygen and nutrient supply, which is essential for growth. These cells receive oxygen and nutrition continuously, which supports their growth without hindrances. With these transformations, treating cancer cells becomes challenging, increasing the need for scientists to create methods to target these special requirements structured to medicine.
The Role of the Tumor Microenvironment
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a cancer cell neighborhood – a relevant region to focus on, as it facilitates tumor development and metastasis.
- Cell Interactions: Cancer cells in a given neighborhood can communicate with various immune cells needed to combat disease and other cells that assist the immune response, like fibroblasts. Cancer cells initiate this by releasing unique chemotactic proteins, which in turn modify the behavior of the surrounding cells. This relationship enables the dreadfully feared phenomenon of cancer to gain sustenance and overpower the weaker parts of the immune system.
- Extracellular Matrix (ECM): The ECM functions as the tumor’s skeleton or scaffold. In addition to providing structural integrity, it has the additional chore of conveying information concerning cellular activities. Cancer cells are known to alter the ECM to facilitate their infiltration into non-cancerous tissue. They also employ specific enzymes to dissolve various components of the ECM, which, in turn, enables them to exit the primary tumor and metastasis. It will be of immense value to know how this neighborhood works for us to develop treatment approaches for cancer.
Conclusion
Grasping the very nature of cancer is critical as it could be the starting point for devising possible ways to treat it. Defined broadly, cancer occurs when specific cells within the human body become hyperproliferative and do not stop replicating when they should. These cells may also group and form lumps known as tumors. While some tumors are inert, others are aggressive, causing diseases by damaging the surrounding healthy cells.
To look for newer treatments to stop cancer cells from multiplying, scientists first study how those cells work. They analyze the alteration of the cell’s genes, morphology, metabolism, and interaction with nearby cells. Understanding these phenomena allows researchers to develop enhanced solutions that may be beneficial in eradicating malignant cells or inhibiting their rapid division.
With ongoing studies, undertaking cancer-controlling efforts is quite multifaceted. Identifying, preventing, understanding, and treating cancer needs a refined approach, and the current research trends are developing better measures. Ultimately, it is the patients’ quality of life we are attempting to improve.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9553/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20362/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9963/
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/understanding-cancer/what-is-cancer.html
https://training.seer.cancer.gov/disease/cancer/biology/
https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/what-is-cancer/how-cancer-starts-grows-and-spreads