Cancer+Article+Questions+DB

1. The article begins by mentioning two important people with cancer. Who is Elizabeth Edwards? Who is Tony Snow? (Include their politcal party, job, and current health status-this article was written in April-your answer should have more than what you can find in the article) -Elizabeth Edwards is an attorney and the wife of presidential candidate John Edwards. She is a democrat. Her cancer at returned and metasized at the time of the article, and it has since been determined that her cancer is not curable but treatable. Tony Snow is the press secretary to President Bush. He is a republican and was a broadcaster as well. His cancer also returned and metastasized, and in October he announced that his cancer is in remission.

2. What is a metastatic cancer cell? -A metastatic cancer cell is a cancer cell has proliferated far from the original cancer mass. It acts as a "colonist" cell and takes all nutrients from the cell around it.

3. Why does the author call cancer cells barbarians and cannibals? -They take nutrients from surrounding cells as well as tear them open and take the nutrients from the inside.



4. What do we know about the events that transform a normal cell to a cancer cell? - Genetic mutations and chromosomal aberrations make normal cells think they are supposed to divide when they aren't.

5. Why is harder to study metastatic cancer cells? - It's harder to study metastatic cancer cells because they are moving and must be studied inside the body rather than outside of it.

6. How many cells do primary tumors shed each day (in a rodent)? Yet how many metastatic tumors do these rodents have? - In a rodent, primary tumors shed a million cells each day. The rodents may have less than ten metastatic tumors at the time.

7. Describe two ways metastatic cells can travel through the body avoiding detection from our immune system. - The cells travel through the body undetected by either eliminating part of their cytoplasm and becoming bacteria size small, or by traveling with platelets and red blood cells.

8. Where is the first site (oasis for the cancer cell) that metastasis generally occurs? Why? Why is it an oasis? (What is an oasis?) - The first oasis is usually a place where platelets are located readily. This is usually a wound. Growth hormones are found in abundance at these sites.

9. What is a dormant micrometastasis? Why are they relevant to human health? - These are malignant cells that fail to replicate and become dormant. They help to explain why primary tumors metastasize to certain organs.

10. What evidence do we have that metastasis occurs in organs that are similar to the organ of the primary tumor? Give two examples. - Breast cancer cells seem to metastasize in bone tissue because of the presence of calcium in both places. Malignant melanoma (or skin cancer) metastasizes in the brain as there are similar melanocytes and neural tissues.