Chemotherapy
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Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of white blood cell that can recognize and kill cancerous cells, as well as virus-infected cells. They work by releasing toxic substances that induce apoptosis (cell death) in the target cells. NK cells are a key part of the body's immune system for eliminating abnormal or diseased cells.
When uncontrolled cell division occurs, cells can become cancerous. Cancerous cells can continue to divide and grow uncontrollably, forming a tumor. These cells can also invade surrounding tissues and spread to other parts of the body through a process called metastasis.
If mitosis goes wrong, cancerous cells forms.
Perforin is produced by cytotoxic T cells (CD8+ T cells) and natural killer (NK) cells. It is used in these cells to induce cell apoptosis in target cells, such as infected or cancerous cells.
Cancer cells go through the cell cycle rapidly due to dysregulation of cell cycle checkpoints that normally control cell division. This dysregulation leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation and rapid growth characteristic of cancer cells.
Cancerous cells can have both genetic defects, such as mutations in key oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, and functional defects, such as uncontrolled proliferation and evasion of cell death mechanisms. These defects allow cancer cells to grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.