Leukemia and Distinct Cell Types Essay

Submitted By Marl-Serrano
Words: 539
Pages: 3

My name is Francis, Father of 8 children. My occupation was being a rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, director and photographer. At the young age, I started rapping and writing songs based on the situation of my fellow countrymen and on my own experienced. My songs inspired many people which gave me awards and credited as the Master Rapper. On August 8th 2008, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at the Medical City Hospital. After couple of months, I succumbed with multiple organ failure. And on March 6th 2009 was my last day of living and had to rest in peace.
Cancer cells differ from normal cells in many ways that allow them to grow out of control and become invasive. One important difference is that cancer cells are less specialized than normal cells. That is, whereas normal cells mature into very distinct cell types with specific functions, cancer cells do not. This is one reason that, unlike normal cells, cancer cells continue to divide without stopping. In addition, cancer cells are able to ignore signals that normally tell cells to stop dividing or that begin a process known as programmed cell death, or apoptosis, which the body uses to get rid of unneeded cells.
The factors that increase risk of getting leukemia are exposure to chemicals and radiation exposure. Long time exposure to certain chemicals may lead to the development of leukemia. Areas around gasoline stations, high vehicular traffic, and industrial sources may have higher levels. Benzene is also found in tobacco smoke. It is estimated that about half of the benzene exposure in the United States is from cigarette smoke. Smoking is a risk factor of leukemia. People exposed to very high levels of radiation, such as the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima, Japan or nuclear power plant accidents, also are at risk of developing leukemia. More than 65 percent of people diagnosed with leukemia are over 55. Leukemia occurs more often in men than women and is more common among white people than other races. The doctor told