• Question: What causes cancer and why

    Asked by shaanii to Laura, Katy on 19 Jun 2010 in Categories: . This question was also asked by sicker3.
    • Photo: Laura Dixon

      Laura Dixon answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      Cells normally divide a certain number of times then die. Cancer is when cells divide uncontrollably, causing the cancerous mass.
      There are a few reasons this happens – the DNA in the cells may be incorrect telling the cells to keep dividing, or exposure to toxins may mutate the cell, causing the divisions and some types of cancer are inherited from your parents genes as well.

    • Photo: Katy Mee

      Katy Mee answered on 19 Jun 2010:

      Cancers can be hereditary (i.e. there’s a history of it in the family and it is passed down to you via your genes) or they can be caused by our lifestyle, for example smoking, over exposure to the sun, diet etc. Cancer causes cells to mutate (change) and multiply, which is why they often form tumours. Removing these cancerous cells can help to dfeat the cancer but sometimes the spread of the cancerous cells is too fast to do this.

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