Answer:
There are many differences between cancer cells and normal cells. Some of the differences are well known, whereas others have only been recently discovered and are less well understood. You may be interested in how cancer cells are different as you are coping with your own cancer or that of a loved one. For researchers, understanding how cancer cells function differently from normal cells lays the foundation for developing treatments designed to rid the body of cancer cells without damaging normal cells.
The first portion of this list discusses the basic differences between cancer cells and healthy cells. For those who are interested in some of the more difficult-to-understand differences, the second portion of this list is more technical.
A brief explanation of the proteins in the body that regulate cell growth is also helpful in understanding cancer cells. Our DNA carries genes that in turn are the blueprint for proteins produced in the body. Some of these proteins are growth factors, chemicals that tell cells to divide and grow. Other proteins work to suppress growth. Mutations in particular genes (for example, those caused by tobacco smoke, radiation, ultraviolet radiation, and other carcinogens) can result in the abnormal production of proteins.1 Too many may be produced, or not enough, or it could be that the proteins are abnormal and function differently.
Cancer is a complex disease, and it is usually a combination of these abnormalities that lead to a cancerous cell, rather than a single mutation or protein abnormality.
