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Concept
Cancer cell
Summary
Cancer cells are cells that divide continually, forming solid tumors or flooding the blood or lymph with abnormal cells. Cell division is a normal process used by the body for growth and repair. A parent cell divides to form two daughter cells, and these daughter cells are used to build new tissue or to replace cells that have died because of aging or damage. Healthy cells stop dividing when there is no longer a need for more daughter cells, but cancer cells continue to produce copies. They are also able to spread from one part of the body to another in a process known as metastasis.
There are different categories of cancer cell, defined according to the cell type from which they originate.
Carcinoma, the majority of cancer cells are epithelial in origin, beginning in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body.
Leukaemia, originate in the tissues responsible for producing new blood cells, most commonly in the bone marrow.
Lymphoma and myeloma, derived from cells of the immune system.
Sarcoma, originating in connective tissue, including fat, muscle and bone.
Central nervous system, derived from cells of the brain and spinal cord.
Mesothelioma, originating in the mesothelium; the lining of body cavities.
File: Apocrine carcinoma - high mag.jpg|Carcinoma
File:Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia smear.jpg|Leukaemia
File:Burkitt lymphoma, touch prep, Wright stain.jpg|Lymphoma
File:Multiple myeloma (1) MG stain.jpg|Myeloma
File:Ewing sarcoma cells.png|Sarcoma
File:Well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma - alt 2 -- intermed. mag.jpg|Mesothelioma
Cancer cells have distinguishing histological features visible under the microscope. The nucleus is often large and irregular, and the cytoplasm may also display abnormalities.
The shape, size, protein composition, and texture of the nucleus are often altered in malignant cells. The nucleus may acquire grooves, folds or indentations, chromatin may aggregate or disperse, and the nucleolus can become enlarged. In normal cells, the nucleus is often round or solid in shape, but in cancer cells the outline is often irregular.
Official source
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