DNA and Cancer Discussion

I’m working on a biology question and need a sample draft to help me learn.

Cancer is genetic but is not inherited. This means that all cancer cases happen due to damages of the DNA but it will not be passed into future generations.

-What do you think? Yes or No and Why?

The expression of genetic information within an individual cell dictates how that cell subsequently behaves. Events at the molecular level can influence the expression of certain genes and thereby adversely affect cellular function to such a degree as to initiate a pathologic process. Cancer cells, for example, must undergo a number of molecular events that allow them to acquire several distinct but pathologic behavioral properties. These properties result in deleterious clinical consequences for the patient in whom the cancer cell resides, but paradoxically empowers that abnormal cell and its progeny with a survival advantage over normal cells.

The fundamental properties required to generate the characteristic malignant attributes associated with cancer cells are the ability to replicate without limitations, indifference to positive growth signals, disregard for growth inhibitory factors, evasion of programmed cell death (apoptosis), sustained angiogenesis, and the ability to invade and metastasize. 1 Each of these traits is influenced by a gene or set of genes. Failure to express the gene correctly and produce functional regulatory proteins leads to the uncontrolled patterns of cell behavior observed in a typical neoplasm.

Basic models describing the evolution of normal cells into cancer cells imply that a series of distinct proliferative changes are undergone, which in some cancers can be classified into distinct histopathologic lesions. Common examples are the adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence for colorectal cancer and the metaplasia-to-dysplasia-to-carcinoma sequence for esophageal adenocarcinoma. At each stage, the cell acquires some but not all the attributes of a cancer cell as defined at the molecular level, and each one of these changes is secondary to a discrete molecular event. Knudson in 1971 2 proposed the “two-hit” hypothesis and used it to explain this phenomenon in retinoblastoma. The suggestion was that to transform the normal cell into a malignant cell, two discrete “hits” or molecular events to both alleles of a gene involved in the control of cell proliferation—in effect a tumor suppressor gene—are necessary. Intermediate steps in this overall multistage process may result in limited gene inactivation and the formation of the premalignant lesions that are sometimes observed preceding fully invasive cancer.

Much of the focus of molecular biologic research has concentrated on investigating the role of genetic changes—that is, direct alterations of DNA base sequence through mutation, deletion, or insertion, and their effect on subsequent gene expression and cell behavior. Recently, alternative mechanisms of gene modulation have been coming under scrutiny that, without disrupting the actual sequence of a gene, affect its expression and remain preserved after cell division. The inheritance of information on the basis of gene expression rather than base sequence is termed epigenetics. The methylation of DNA is recognized as a key mechanism in the regulation of gene expression in this way, and evidence for its role in the development of a wide variety of cancers is accumulating.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource