NH+Natalie+Angier+Article


 * 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 John Edwards wife. She is a democrat. She first found out she had breast cancer right before during the 2004 elections. In 2006, when John Edwards announced he was going to run for President, she looked to be cancer free. But three months later, after breaking a rib, she found that it had recurred, spreading from her breast to her bones, and was incurable. She is still alive and on the road with her husband and children.
 * Tony Snow is the White House Press Secretary. He found out in March 2007 that his colon cancer had spread to his liver. He has been going through chemotherapy and says that the most recent CAT scan was a good one; none of the tumors had grown and there were no new ones growing. He is resigning from his position at the White House because it has become a financial burden to his family, Dana Perino will take over for him.
 * What is a metastatic cancer cell?
 * A metastatic cancer cell is one that spreads from the initial point where the cancer started.
 * Why does the author call cancer cells barbarians and cannibals?
 * They take all of the nutrients from the surrounding organs and cells. They also block conduits and kill the cells and tssue around them.
 * What do we know about the events that transform a normal cell to a cancer cell?
 * It is due to mutations. These mutations make the cell believe that it is being stimulated by growth hormones, so it divides when it isn't supposed to. The telomeres never get shorter, making the cell basically immortal.
 * Why is harder to study metastatic cancer cells?
 * They must be studied in vivo (in the body) rather than in vitro (in a culture).
 * How many cells do primary tumors shed each day (in a rodent)? Yet how many metastatic tumors do these rodents have?
 * Primary tumors shed about 1 million cells a day in a rodent. They have very few metastatic tumors.
 * Describe two ways metastatic cells can travel through the body avoiding detection from our immune system.
 * either by shedding some of its unneeded cytoplasm in order to become smaller and more parasitic or by surrounding itself with blood platelets.
 * Where is the first site (oasis for the cancer cell) that metastasis generally occurs? Why? Why is it an oasis? (What is an oasis?)
 * Metastasis generally occurs first in the virgin terrain (like a wound site) where the blood platelets stick. Wound sites usually have a lot of growth hormones in them, so this is the perfect place for cancer to develop.
 * What is a dormant micrometastasis? Why are they relevant to human health?
 * Dormant micrometastasis is when the metastatic cell has found a new site but isn't replicating. If the cell isn't replicating, that means that there will be no symptoms of cancer.
 * What evidence do we have that metastasis occurs in organs that are similar to the organ of the primary tumor? Give two examples.
 * Metastasized breast cancer cells tend to form in bone tissue because they are used to gathering calcium ions. Malignant melanoma spreads to the brain because brain tissue and melonocytes come from the same class of cells during gestation.