A summary of the "hallmarks of cancer", which are traits that govern the transformation of normal cells to cancer cells.
To help first year medical students at the University of Dundee better grasp the basics of cancer, I was asked to make a set of illustrations to accompany one of their pathology lectures. This work depicts an analogy of a simple caveman (representing a "normal" cell) which undergoes a series of changes (the hallmarks of cancer) to eventually become a cyborg (cancer cell).
To help first year medical students at the University of Dundee better grasp the basics of cancer, I was asked to make a set of illustrations to accompany one of their pathology lectures. This work depicts an analogy of a simple caveman (representing a "normal" cell) which undergoes a series of changes (the hallmarks of cancer) to eventually become a cyborg (cancer cell).
Hallmark: Cancer cells stimulate their own growth
Analogy: The cavemen start farming and grow strong
Hallmark: Cancer cells resist inhibitory signals that might otherwise stop their growth
Analogy: Humans become hunters and remove life-threatening predators
Hallmark: Cancer cells can multiply indefinitely
Analogy: The humans start to breed in large numbers
Hallmark: Cancer cells resist programmed cell death (apoptosis)
Analogy: The humans start to live longer by receiving medical treatment (shown here by a plague doctor and a patient)
Hallmark: Cancer cells invade local tissue and spread to distant sites
Analogy: An invasion of a neighbouring village by an army
Hallmark: Cancer cells stimulate the growth of blood vessels (angiogenesis) to supply nutrients to tumours
Analogy: Roads are build to link towns and villages so food and supplies can be distributed easily
Hallmark: Cancer cells are able to evade the immune system
Analogy: Rioteers resist the police
Hallmark: Disordered repair processes can cause cancer as well as promote its growth
Analogy: Destruction of the controlling systems/authority - the humans have become cyborgs and there is complete chaos
