Question

Cancer can be described as a disease characterized by the cell cycle going out of control. Discuss what it means for the cell cycle to be out of control. Is it appropriate to connect cancer and the cell cycle? Why or why not? My answer: The cell cycle is a series of events that occur when the cell starts to seperate and replicate itself, and if cancer can be described as the cell cycle going out of contro,l it makes sense that the two connect to each other. The cell cycle going out of control means that the cells start to evolve and begin to repeatedly increase and reproduce.

Answer 1

Answer:

Yes, cancer is related to cell cycle since mutations in genes that regulate the cell cycle result in cancer.

Explanation:

The cell cycle is a series of events that form new cells from the existing parent cells. The cell cycle is tightly regulated at several points by growth regulatory proteins that make a cell to undergo cell division only when required. Mutation in the genes for these regulatory proteins makes the target cells to undergo repeated cell division even when the new cells are not required.

Similarly, tumor suppressor genes are the ones that prevent the cells to undergo cell division when the new cells are not needed by the body. Some of these genes are Rb, p53, or p21. Mutations in these genes do not allow the respective proteins to suppress cell division in their target cells. In the absence of suppressor proteins, the cells enter the cell division and form tumors.

Therefore, cancer is caused by mutations in the genes that make the cells to enter the uncontrolled cell cycle.

Answer 2

That answer sounds great! You might also want to add that the cell cycle is thrown out of control by the mutations that occur. Cancer is fundamentally the accumulation of reproduced mutated cells.