Question

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases. Explain 'Contact inhibition' and 'Metastasis' with respect to the disease

Answer 1

Normal cells have the property of contact inhibition (stoppage of growth on coming in contact with other cells) but cancer cells lose this property.
As a result, cancer cells divide continuously to give rise to a mass of cells (tumours).

Metastasis- This property is exhibited by malignant tumours. It is the pathological process of spreading cancerous cells to the different parts of the body. These cells divide uncontrollably, forming a mass of cells called tumour. From the tumour, some cells get sloughed off and enter the blood stream. From the blood stream, these cells reach distant parts of the body and therefore, initiate the formation of new tumours by dividing actively.