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The cell cycle is a group of four events that revolve around the growth and division of cells into two daughter cells. The first event that occurs in the cell cycle is the first growth stage (G1 phase in the diagram). Cells start to increase in size and an important cell cycle control mechanism gets activated. This ensures that everything is ready for DNA synthesis. The second event that occurs is the synthesis phase (S phase in the diagram). DNA is replicated in this phase. Following this phase is the second growth phase (G2 in the diagram). This is when the cell will continue to grow and will start to produce new proteins. The cell is now ready for mitosis.
Mitosis is the first part of the actual cell division. It’s split up into four smaller phases. The first of which is prophase. Prophase is where the cell gets everything ready for the division and centrioles move into the appropriate position. Metaphase then occurs, which is where the DNA lines up and the centrioles send out tubules that connect with the DNA. This condenses the DNA down into chromosomes. Two strands of chromosomes connect at the centre of the cell with a centromere. The separation begins in the anaphase. Half of the chromosomes are pulled to one side of the cell and the other half to another. Finally, in the telophase, the cell membrane closes in and the cell gets split into two pieces.
Cancerous cells are cells that grow and divide at a quick pace. They destroy and replace normal cells. This can be harmful to the body as those cells can no longer perform their regular tasks and will cause some functions in the body to stop. They may also form tumours or lumps which may cause damage to the surrounding tissues and organs. The events within the cell cycle (mitosis specifically) is what originally causes a cell to become cancerous. As mitosis controls the genes inside every single cell, it is very important that this control does not go wrong. If it does go wrong however, the cell can replicate itself to make even more cells that are also out of control, like the parent cell. This is the causation of cancer cells. These cells will continue to split and divide without the control system that other normal cells have.
Some effective cancer treatments attempt to kill cells that may be cancerous. This could be accomplished through chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and various medicines. A deeper understanding of the cell cycle can lead to more effective forms of cancer treatment. As the origin of cancer cells is within the mitosis phase of the cell cycle, scientists can try and develop a way to refrain mitosis from going wrong. This could prevent some cancerous cells from being formed.