Biology

Cancerous cells are atypical cells which portray characteristics that are attributed to their ability to grow out of control. Cancerous cells are non-specialized and divide in an uncontrollable manner. Cancerous cells lead to formation of tumors because they do not exhibit contact inhibition. Cancers which are located at their place of origin are referred to cancers in situ. Malignant tumors are located far away from their place of origin. The characteristics of cancerous cells are very distinct from those of normal cells. It is important to understand the characteristic difference between normal cells and cancerous cells for proper treatment. This paper is going to look at some of the distinguishing characteristics of both normal and cancerous cells.

Introduction
Cancer, a group of related genetic illnesses according to Cooper (1992), mainly affects the body cells. Cells are the building blocks of an organism. Human body, as well as that of other organisms, is made up of numerous cells. Cancer, as illustrated by Cooper (1993), develops as a result of rapid and uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells. Cells which proliferate rapidly and out of control are referred to as cancerous cells. Cancerous cells differ from normal body cells in a number of ways including division, growth and proliferation. Proper understanding of the difference between normal and cancerous cells provides a concrete base for effective treatment.

Difference between cancer cells and normal body cells
Normal body cells, though they proliferate, they do so under control. Cancerous cells on the other hand divide and multiply rapidly and also break the rule of programmed cell death. Cancerous cells therefore do not die at the time they are supposed to die. Whereas normal cells grow individually, cancerous cells usually grow in groups which lead to development of lumps referred to as tumors. Cancerous cells in tumor produce chemicals that have the ability of destroying normal cells. The actions of cancerous cells can result in severe sickness.

Whereas normal cells cannot be dislodged and moved to another place in the body, cancerous cells are easily displaced and transported to other parts of the body where they carry on growing forming new tumors through a mechanism referred to as spread of cancer. Human body has a well defined defense mechanism that detects, prevents entry, and destroys foreign substances. The human defense mechanism detects abnormal cells as foreign substances and mounts an attack on them. Cancerous cells however, are able to bypass the bodys immune mechanism because the genetic makeup of these cells is the same as that of normal body cells with slight differences. Cancer cells though they look abnormal according to Richards (1978), are able to escape the body immune system and start destroying body cells either at the primary site or at the secondary site. The body immune system through the action of leucocytes is designed in a way that any foreign cell that enters the body is destroyed. Cooper (1992) states that unlike cancer cells, cells such as viruses and bacteria are able to illicit the bodys defense system which then reacts by destroying them and eliminating them. As compared to normal cells cancerous cells have enlarged nuclei due to a high number of chromosomes.

Growth of cancerous cells can either be classified in two ways benign or malignant. In benign growths, cells grow without balance between growth and death and these results into a small harmless lump of cells referred to as tumor. Malignant growths can occur in any part of the body including the skin, intestines, and prostate glands. Malignant growths on the other hand grow and divide without regardless of the body needs and limitations. Malignant cells proliferate at a very rapid rate. They are capable of growing to form huge masses or lumps. Cooper (1993) states that malignant cells also have the ability of spreading rapidly from their original position to other parts of the body in a process referred to as metastasis. Most normal cells do not spread from their place of origin to other parts of the body. Cancer cells do not obey this rule and can spread to different parts of the body via many ways. These ways include direct invasion and destruction of the invaded organ, and through the lymphatic system or even the blood system to different parts of the body like the bone, liver, lungs, or brain. Despite the fact that they are able to move to other parts of the body, they retain the features of the original cell. For example, a breast cancer can be metastasized to the bone and it still remains a breast cancer. When such a cell is viewed under the microscope, features of breast cells are observed. The tumor also responds to treatment just like a breast cancer. The original cancer from which the cells split from and move to other areas in the body is referred to as the primary tumor. Cancers resulting from cells that have moved from their original location are referred to as secondary or metastatic cancer.

Cancerous cells can also be classified according to the tissue of origin. A cancer cell may arise from a gland, muscle, nerve cells, or fat cells. Cancer cells behave in different ways depending on the tissue of origin. This makes them to be referred to using different names such as adenocarcinoma, which are cancerous cells from glands, leiomyosarcoma which are cancerous cells from muscles, neurosarcoma are cancerous cells from the nervous system, and liposarcoma-cancerous fat cells.

Conclusion
It is very clear that cancerous cells are different from normal body cells.  They have the ability of being dislodged from one location in the body to another. As compared to normal body cells cancerous cells have very large nuclei due to presence of large number of chromosomes. Cancerous cells have the ability of proliferating uncontrollably at a very rapid rate. They grow in groups forming lumps referred to as tumors.  Cancerous are also able to evade the bodys immune system. All these properties make cancer cells different from normal cells.