Normal Cells • Normal cells develop and grow in a controlled manner • There is a consistency in cell size and shape, and cells are organised into discrete tissues • They may have a lower level of dividing cells and cell tissues are clearly demarcated • They have small, uniformly shaped nuclei and a relatively large cytoplasmic volume • Normal cells do what they are programmed to do, then die off to be replaced by new cells. They have a lifespan. If damaged they try to repair themselves or die off • They tend not to travel to other parts of the body • If they have a particular function this will occur normally • They may have normal specialised features and have normal presentation of cell surface markers • If they do grow beyond normal size they tend to push against neighbouring cells, rather than through them
Cancer Cells
• Cancer cells grow in an uncontrolled way
• There is variation in cell size and shape and disorganised arrangement • There may be a large number of dividing cells and poorly defined tumour boundaries • There is a large, variable shaped nuclei and relatively small cytoplasmic volume • There is a lack of cell repair and replacement or death, which can result in tumour formation of immature, abnormal (cancerous) cells • Cancer cells will travel to other parts of the body and settle (metastasise) • If they have a particular function, this can become abnormal or altered • There is a loss of normal specialised features and elevated expression of certain cell markers • When they do grow beyond their normal size, they will invade neighbouring cells and structures (infiltration)
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