INVESTIGATORY PROJECT OF

BIOLOGY ON
TOPIC
" STUDY OF CANCER "
PREPARED BY
SUNITA KUMARI SAHU
CLASS - XII
ROLL NO-
GUIDED BY
MR. ASHUTOSH SUBUDHI

ODISHA ADARSH VIDYALAYA KAITHAPADAR,

RAYAGADA, GAJAPATI (ODISHA) 761213
 INTRODUCTION
Cancer is a large group of diseases that can start in almost any organ or
tissue of the body when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, go beyond
their usual boundaries to invade adjoining parts of the body and/or
spread to other organs. The latter process is called metastasizing and is
a major cause of death from cancer. A neoplasm and malignant tumour
are other common names for cancer.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an

estimated 9.6 million deaths, or 1 in 6 deaths, in 2018. Lung, prostate,
colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of
cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancer
are the most common among women.

The cancer burden continues to grow globally, exerting tremendous

physical, emotional and financial strain on individuals, families,
communities and health systems. Many health systems in low- and
middle-income countries are least prepared to manage this burden, and
large numbers of cancer patients globally do not have access to timely
quality diagnosis and treatment. In countries where health systems are
strong, survival rates of many types of cancers are improving thanks to
accessible early detection, quality treatment and survivorship care
 WHAT ARE CANCER CELLS
Cancer cells are cells that divide continuously, forming solid tumors or
flooding the blood with abnormal cells. Cell division is a normal process
used by the body for growth and repair. Healthy cells stop dividing when
there is no longer a need for more daughter cells, but cancer cells
continuous to produce copies. They also spread from one part of the
body to another. Cancer cells have histological features visible under the
microscope. The nucleus is often large and irregular and the cytoplasm
may also display abnormalities.
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CANCER CELLS
AND NORMAL CELLS
Cancer cells differ from normal cells in many ways. For instance, cancer
cells:

 grow in the
absence of
signals telling
them to grow.
Normal cells
only grow when
they receive
such signals.
 ignore signals
that normally
tell cells to stop
dividing or to
die (a process known as programmed cell death, or apoptosis).

 invade into nearby areas and spread to other areas of the body. Normal
cells stop growing when they encounter other cells, and most normal
cells do not move around the body.
 tell blood vessels to grow toward tumors. These blood vessels supply
tumors with oxygen and nutrients and remove waste products from
tumors.
 hide from the immune system. The immune system normally
eliminates damaged or abnormal cells.
 trick the immune system into helping cancer cells stay alive and grow.
 accumulate multiple changes in their chromosomes, such as
duplications and deletions of chromosome parts. Some cancer cells
have double the normal number of chromosomes.
 TWO MAIN TYPES OF CANCER
1. Benign: These tumors are not cancerous. They do not invade nearby
tissue or spread to other parts of the body. If a doctor removes them,
they do not generally return.
2. Malignant: Malignant tumors are cancerous. The cells can grow and
spread to other parts of the body.

HOW DOES CANCER DEVELOP

Cancer is caused by certain changes to genes, the basic physical unit of

inheritance. Genes are arranged in long strands of tightly packed DNA
called chromosomes.

GENETIC CHANGES THAT CAUSE CANCER:

 of errors that occur as cells divide.

 of damage to DNA caused by harmful substances in the
environment, such as the chemicals in tobacco smoke and
ultraviolet rays from the sun.
 they were inherited from our parents.
 TYPES OF CANCER
There are five main types of cancer. These include:

CARNICOMA: This type of cancer affects

organs and glands, such as the lungs, breasts,
pancreas and skin. Carcinoma is the most
common type of cancer. Carcinomas begin in
different epithelial cell types such as
Adenocarcinoma, Basal cell carcinoma,
Squamous cell carcinoma, Transitional cell
carcinoma.

SARCOMA: This cancer affects soft or

connective tissues, such as muscle, fat, bone,
cartilage or blood vessels. Osteosarcoma is
the most common cancer of bone. The most
common types of soft tissue sarcoma are
leiomyosarcoma, Kaposi

sarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma,

liposarcoma, and dermatofibrosarcoma
protuberans.
MELANOMA: Melanoma is cancer that
begins in cells that become
melanocytes, which are specialized
cells that make melanin (the pigment
that gives skin its colour). Most
melanomas form on the skin, but
melanomas can also form in other
pigmented tissues, such as the eye.

LYMPHOMA: This cancer affects your lymphocytes or white blood cells.

There are two main types of lymphoma:
Hodgkin lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin
lymphoma.

LEUKEMIA: Cancers that begin in

the blood-forming tissue of the
bone marrow are called leukemia.
These cancers do not form solid
tumors. Instead, large numbers of
abnormal blood cells build up.
 CANCER STATISTICS IN INDIA
India ranks third among nations in
terms of highest number of cancers.
Over 13 lakh people in India suffer
from cancers every year, as per the
National Cancer Registry Programme
report. Sedentary lifestyles, increase
in urban pollution, in addition to rise
in obesity, tobacco and alcohol
consumption, are said to be the
reasons behind the rise.

CAUSES OF CANCER:

 Unhealthy lifestyle
 Toxic environment
 Radiation exposure
 Hormone therapy

SYMPTOMS:

Cancer symptoms can

vary significantly for
each person.

 Unexplained
weight loss.
 Chronic
tiredness.
 Persistent pain.
 Fever that occurs
mostly at night.
 Skin changes.
 FOUR STAGES OF CANCER

 Stage I: Cancer is localized to a small area and hasn't spread to lymph

nodes or other tissues.
 Stage II: Cancer has
grown, but it hasn't
spread.
 Stage III: Cancer has
grown larger and has
possibly spread to
lymph nodes or other
tissues.

 Stage IV: Cancer has

spread to other organs
or areas of your body.
This stage is also referred to as metastatic or advanced cancer.
 DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosing cancer at its earliest stages often provides the best chance
for a cure.
Physical exam: Your doctor may feel areas of your body for lumps that
may indicate cancer. During a physical exam, your doctor may look for
abnormalities, such as changes in skin colour or enlargement of an
organ, that may indicate the presence of cancer.
Laboratory tests: Laboratory tests, such as urine and blood tests, may
help your doctor identify abnormalities that can be caused by cancer.
For instance, in people with leukemia, a common blood test called
complete blood count may reveal an unusual number or type of white
blood cells.
Imaging tests: Imaging tests allow your doctor to examine your bones
and internal organs in a non-invasive way. Imaging tests used in
diagnosing cancer may include a computerized tomography (CT) scan,
bone scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission
tomography (PET) scan, ultrasound and X-ray, among others.
Biopsy: During a biopsy, doctor collects a sample of cells for testing in
the laboratory. There are several ways of collecting a sample. Different
methods of biopsy procedure depend on the type of cancer and its
location. In most situations, a biopsy is the only way to definitively
diagnose cancer.
In the laboratory, doctors look at cell samples under the microscope.
Normal cells look uniform, with similar sizes and orderly organization.
Cancer cells look less orderly, with varying sizes and without apparent
organization.
BIOPSY:

CT SCAN:
 TREATMENT
Surgery: The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer or as much of the
cancer as possible. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill
cancer cells.
Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy beams,
such as X-rays and protons, to kill cancer cells. Radiation treatment can
come from a machine outside your body (external beam radiation), or it
can be placed inside your body (brachytherapy).
Bone marrow transplant: Bone marrow transplant is also known as a
stem cell transplant. Bone marrow is the material inside our bones that
makes blood cells. A bone marrow transplant can use our own cells or
cells from a donor.
A bone marrow transplant allows doctor to use higher doses of
chemotherapy to treat cancer. It may also be used to replace diseased
bone marrow.
Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy, also known as biological therapy,
uses our body's immune system to fight cancer. Cancer can survive
unchecked in our body because your immune system doesn't recognize
it as an intruder. Immunotherapy can help your immune system detect
the cancer and attack it.
Hormone therapy: Some types of cancer are fueled by your body's
hormones. Examples include breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Removing those hormones from the body or blocking their effects may
cause the cancer cells to stop growing.
Targeted drug therapy: Targeted drug treatment focuses on specific
abnormalities within cancer cells that allow them to survive.
Clinical trials: Clinical trials are studies to investigate new ways of
treating cancer. Thousands of cancer clinical trials are underway.
 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES:
 Chemotherapy may shrink your cancer or slow down its growth,
which may help you live longer.
 Chemotherapy after surgery, may reduce the chances of the cancer
coming back.
DISADVANTGES:
 Chemotherapy can cause side effects.
 Cancer treatments can cause many other side effects, including
tiredness, trouble eating, and depression.
 Bibliography

 www.encyclopedia.com
 www.wikipedia.com
 Britannica encyclopaedia
 Practical manual in Biology for class
xii
 Microsoft Encarta
 NCERT Biology- XII
 Comprehensive Practical Biology -
XII