Cancer cells do not heed the normal signals that regulate the cell cycle. It results from genetic changes that affect cell cycle control. They divide excessively and invade other tissues. The abnormal behavior of cancer cells can be catastrophic when it occurs in the body. The problem begins when a single cell in a tissue undergoes transformation, the process that converts a normal cell to a cancer cell. The body’s immune system normally recognizes a transformed cell as an insurgent and destroys it. Nevertheless, if the cancer cell evades destruction, it may proliferate and form a tumor, a mass of abnormal cells within normal tissue.
The abnormal cells may remain at the original site if they have too few genetic and cellular changes to survive at another site. In that case, the tumor is known as a benign tumor. Most benign tumors do not cause serious problems and can be completely removed by surgery. In contrast, a malignant tumor includes cell whereby genetic and cellular changes enable them to spread to new tissues and impair the functions of the organs. An individual with a malignant tumor is said to have cancer.
The cells of malignant (cancerous) tumors grow in an uncontrolled way and proliferate to neighboring tissue via lymph and blood vessels to the other parts of body. The spread of cancer cells beyond their original site is called metastasis. It is likely that many cancer-causing mutations result from environmental influences, such as chemical carcinogens, X-rays and other high energy radiation, and some viruses.
Cervical Cancer, why it matters?
Cervical cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in females worldwide, accounting for 9% (529,800) of the total new cancer cases and 8% (275,100) of the total cancer deaths among females in 2008 (Fig. 1). More than 85% of these cases and deaths occur in developing countries. India, the second most populous country in the world, accounts for 27% (77,100) of the total cervical cancer deaths. After doing some research, the highest incidence rates are in Eastern, Western, and Southern Africa, as well as South-Central Asia and South America. Rates are lowest in Western Asia, Australia/New Zealand, and North America.
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| Figure 1 |
