Cancer+Article+SLS

1. The article begins by mentioning two important people with cancer. Who is Elizabeth Edwards? Who is Tony Snow? Elizabeth Edwards is the 57 year-old wife of John Edwards, who was the presidential candidate at the time, and Mr. Snow, is a 51 year-old press secretary to President Bush. (This article was written 03/07/07. As a part of this question find out what has happened in the year and a half since this article was written with respect to the cancer of Ms. Edwards and Mr. Snow. Include a link to your sources.) 2. What is a metastatic cancer cell? A metastatic cancer cell is a cell that breaks off of the main tumor and travels through the blood stream. 3. Why does the author call cancer cells barbarians and cannibals? The cells are called barbarians because they steal the nutrients away from the organs they are attacking, and they also use up the oxygen from those cells around them. Not only that, but they block ‘traffic and clog conduits’. He also calls them cannibals because they ‘tear open surrounding cells and feast like cannibals on the meat of their fellows.’ 4.What do we know about the events that transform a normal cell to a cancer cell? We know that normal cells sometimes have identified genetic mutations and chromosomal aberrations that mak cells think that they are being stimulated by growth hormones when they are not. When this happens, it releases the restrictions on cell division and they begin to divide and multiply rapidly. 5.Why is harder to study metastatic cancer cells? Because the cells move and ultimately must be ‘studied in vivo, in the bewildering wilderness of the body.’ 6. How many cells do primary tumors shed each day (in a rodent)? Yet how many metastatic tumors do these rodents have? A million cells are circulated into the blood each day. The tumors can be counted on one hand. 7.Describe two ways metastatic cells can travel through the body avoiding detection from our immune system. To avoid detection in the human immune system, the cells ‘reinvent’ themselves by slimming themselves down to almost bacterial dimensions by removing unnecessary portions of their cytoplasm. They also attract blood cells and platelets to take them through the tissue and into ‘safe pools’ within. 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 safe pools inside of the tissue are known as the oasis for cancer. The cancer is then able to feed off of the rich ‘broth of growth hormones and factors’ which inhabit these oasis’s. 9.What is a dormant micrometastasis? Why are they relevant to human health? A dormant micrometastasis is when the ‘replicative success’ doesn’t happen and they die or go into dormancy. 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 tumors and malignant melanoma are two examples where the metastasis occurs and they are similar to the organ of the primary donor. The evidence we have to prove that is that micrometastases will not retain their original dimensions unless, they adapt to their new surroundings.

11. Find a current (published in last 2 months) news article (from a national source) about cancer. Post a link to the article and write a 75-100 word summary.