Video Transcript
Fill in the blank. When cells in the human body undergo uncontrolled cell division, it can lead to
blank. (A) Cardiovascular diseases, (B) excessive bleeding, (C) diabetes, (D) cancer.
This question asks us about a condition that arises when cells in the human body
divide uncontrollably. Let’s first start off by discussing cell division or mitosis.
Mitosis is a type of cell division where one cell divides to produce two new daughter
cells that are genetically identical. Mitosis contributes to the growth and repair of our tissues. And it’s how we developed from a single fertilized egg cell to the trillions of cells
in our body today.
Mitosis itself is part of a larger process called the cell cycle. The cell cycle is a process that cells go through when they divide. It can be broken up into two major steps: interphase and mitosis. As you can see in the diagram, mitosis actually only makes up a small part of the
cell cycle.
Before mitosis can begin, all the DNA inside the cell needs to be copied. This happens during interphase, and it takes a long time. The cell cycle is tightly regulated to make sure the cells divide only when they need
to divide. So if we look at the diagram on the right, we can see that mitosis stops after one
cell divides into two. But in some situations, these cells don’t stop when they’re supposed to, and they
divide uncontrollably. This kind of uncontrollable cell division can form a mass of cells called a
tumor.
Tumors are often benign and harmless if they remain in the same area where they
originally develop. However, in some cases, tumor cells can detach from the original tumor and spread to
other parts of the body where they can form new tumors. When a tumor develops to this point, it’s considered malignant or cancerous.
Therefore, in the statement “When cells in the human body undergo uncontrolled cell
division, it can lead to blank,” the option that correctly fills in the blank is
given by answer choice (D) cancer.
