Replication cells

More frequently cancer would arise from cells that replicate, grow or divide faster, as errors during replication could simple occur more often. Also failure to segregate chromosomes properly during the process of mitosis can occur more often in faster dividing cells that in cells that dive slowly. For this reason cancers are more common in skin cells that in nerve cells. The most form of any cancer is skin cancer. Some of the most common types of skin cancers are melanoma and basal cell carcinoma.

As the skin is one of the fastest dividing cells in the body, there are chances that such a cancer can easily grow, spread and cause secondary tumors in other parts of the body. Melanomas arise from the melanocytes, whereas the basal cell carcinomas arise from the basal cells, which are the lower most cells of the epidermis. Skin cancers can easily be initiated as several factors such as sun exposure, radiation, etc, can bring about errors during the replication of the cells, thus leading to the development of cancer.

Several other risk factors can then contribute towards the progression of cancer.

References:

1. Berman, K. (2008). Skin cancer, Retrieved on May 21, 2008,
2. Medline Plus Web site: http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001442. htm
3. Pearson (2008). Chapter 13: End of Chapter Quiz, Retrieved on May 21, 2008,
4. USU Web site: http://www. biology. usu. edu/courses/biol1010-woertendyke/End%20of%20chapter%20questions/Ch13. doc