Researching Cancer

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Fundamentally, cancer is a failure of the immune system. Cancer kills because it spreads and disturbs homeostasis. For this assignment, research and then describe a specific type of cancer of your choosing. You should complete the following for this assignment:

  • Identify the type of cancer you are going to research. Generally, explain what it is and what part of the body it affects.
  • Describe the cancer in biological terms at the level of the cell and at the level of the major organ system it affects.
  • Explain the characteristics of cancer cells that distinguish them from normal cells.
  • Consider how the disease affects the body as it progresses or spreads. What are some specific aspects of homeostasis that the spreading disease could affect? What self-regulating systems are upset because of this disease?
  • Discuss the therapies available for treatment of this specific type of cancer.
  • Discuss the lifestyle choices that might aid in prevention or treatment of this type of cancer.

In order to complete the assignment, you will need to find quality, appropriate, and credible outside resources that provides research on a specific type of cancer. Places where you can find these types of sources would be the Capella library and sometimes the Internet. Complete the following steps in preparation to completing your assignment:

  1. Review Chapter 12 of your Visualizing Human Biology text, and choose the specific type of cancer you will be researching for this assignment.
  2. Review “Top 100 List: Health Websites You Can Trust” from this unit’s readings, which will help you prepare for this paper. This resource from CAPHIS will be of particular help in selecting the sources.
  3. Select the sources you want to use for your assignment. Note: Your sources should be reliable. Points will be deducted for citing unreliable sources such as Wikipedia, unless otherwise specified by your instructor. These types of sites have user-generated content and can be useful as starting points for your research. The reason they are considered unreliable is that they are not peer-reviewed and, in the case of Wikipedia, anyone can add an entry or change an entry. Hence, these types of sources should not be cited in college-level research papers. However, you may find Wikipedia useful in finding other resources and links that are reputable and reliable. You will find these listed at the end of the entries