Question

part 2: mitosis and cancer
watch the video below to find out how cancer is related to mitosis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daa4tvwho4
analysis questions

1. what is the purpose of mitosis?
2. after watching the video, explain what cancer is, and how it relates to mitosis.
3. explain how chemotherapy works.
4. why does chemotherapy cause cancer patients to lose hair?

Explanation:

1. Mitosis is the process of cell - division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus. It is essential for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction in organisms. In the context of cancer, cancer cells divide uncontrollably through mitosis.
2. Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. These cells divide rapidly through mitosis, often forming tumors. Normal cells have a regulated cell - cycle, but cancer cells have mutations that disrupt this regulation, allowing them to divide continuously.
3. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. It works by interfering with the cell - division process, such as by preventing DNA replication or stopping the formation of the mitotic spindle. Since cancer cells divide more rapidly than most normal cells, they are more vulnerable to these drugs. However, some normal cells that also divide rapidly, like those in the bone marrow, hair follicles, and digestive tract, can also be affected.
4. Chemotherapy causes hair loss because the drugs target rapidly - dividing cells. Hair follicles contain cells that divide quickly to produce new hair. When chemotherapy drugs circulate in the body, they affect these rapidly - dividing hair - follicle cells, causing them to stop dividing and eventually die, leading to hair loss.

Answer:

1. The purpose of mitosis is for growth, tissue repair, and asexual reproduction. It is also involved in the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells.
2. Cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth. Cancer cells divide rapidly through mitosis due to mutations in genes that regulate the cell - cycle.
3. Chemotherapy works by interfering with the cell - division process of cancer cells, such as by targeting DNA replication or the mitotic spindle.
4. Chemotherapy causes cancer patients to lose hair because it affects the rapidly - dividing cells in hair follicles, causing them to die.