Molecular Biology of the Cell - Volume 3 - Alberts B., Bray D., Lewis J., Raff M., Roberts K., Watson J. 1994

From Cells to Multicellular Organisms
Cancer

In developed countries, one in five people dies of Cancer, though this alone would hardly warrant devoting an entire chapter to it here. Cardiovascular diseases still claim the highest number of lives, and many other conditions cause no less harm to humanity. Malnutrition and infectious diseases also pose severe global challenges. Structure/19.html">The Importance of studying The Cell biology of cancer stems largely from the fact that the related disorders grouped under this name are rooted in disruptions of the most fundamental laws governing cell behavior in Multicellular Organisms. To understand the true nature of cancer and develop rational treatments, we must comprehend both the internal mechanisms of cellular life and the ways Cells interact with one another within Tissues and the Organism as a whole. For this very reason, fundamental cancer research has greatly enriched our understanding of normal cells, yielding powerful Methods that have largely driven the current revolution in cell biology. Notable Examples include The Use of Reverse Transcriptase from oncogenic RNA Viruses and myeloma cell lines (descendants of malignant B lymphocytes) to produce cDNA (Section 4.6.3) and Monoclonal Antibodies, respectively. While one might debate the extent to which the immense funding poured into laboratory research in this field has fulfilled its primary goal of advancing cancer therapy, there is no doubt that the progress it stimulated in cell biology has significantly deepened our understanding of medical fields far beyond oncology proper.

We have already touched upon how The Study of cancer pioneered the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the control of Cell Growth and Division (Section 13.4). In this final chapter of our book, we examine The problem of cancer in its own right. The first section explores The Nature of cancer and its origins from a cellular perspective, while the second focuses on its molecular basis.