“*A carcinogen is a substance, organism or agent capable of causing cancer*”.
“*Cancer* is *a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body*”.
How does something like alcohol or tobacco cause cancer?
In: Biology
Every time a cell divides it could go wrong, and anything that makes cells divide can increase cancer risk. There’s two factors there, how often cells are dividing and how likely each division is to go wrong.
Think of it like rolling dice. You roll every time a cell divides to see if it went wrong. The “goes wrong” side is more likely the more damage your DNA has received.
Some things like asbestos damage your cells and make them produce new cells. Things like radiation make each division more risky by damaging your DNA.
Latest Answers