What is the Difference Between HeLa Cells and Cancer Cells

The key difference between HeLa Cells and cancer cells is that HeLa cells are immortal cells derived from cervical cancer cells extensively used in scientific research, while cancer cells are immortal cells that can be classified based on their origins in the human body, such as epithelial cancer cells, blood cancer cells, immune system cancer cells, connective tissue cancer cells, central nervous system cancer cells or mesothelium cancer cells.

Cancer is a condition in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the human body. It can start almost anywhere in the human body. Benign cancer cells do not invade nearby tissues. But cancerous tumors can travel to distant places in the body to form new tumors. Cancer cells have been described as immortal as they don’t age or die. HeLa cells and cancer cells are two types of immortal cells.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are HeLa Cells 
3. What are Cancer Cells
4. Similarities – HeLa Cells and Cancer Cells
5. HeLa Cells vs Cancer Cells in Tabular Form
6. Summary – HeLa Cells vs Cancer Cells

What are HeLa Cells?

HeLa cells are immortal cells derived from cervical cancer cells used in scientific research. HeLa Cells are the oldest and most commonly used human cell line in scientific research. It was derived and named after a woman called Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old African-American mother of five who died from cancer in 1951. These cells were originally derived from cervical cancer cells taken from Lacks. HeLa cells were found to be remarkably durable and prolific. Therefore, this allows it to be used widely in scientific studies.

A controversy arose as the cells of Henrietta Lacks were taken without her consent, which was a common practice in the United States at that time. Moreover, cell biologist George Otto Gey developed this cell line after he discovered that cells from Lack’s tumor survive for a long duration compared to previous human cells. HeLa cells are successfully used in many studies, including polio eradication, virology, cancer, genetics, and space microbiology.

What are Cancer Cells?

Cancer cells are immortal cells that divide continuously. These cells normally form solid tumors or flood the blood with abnormal cells. They can be classified based on their origins in the human body, such as epithelial cancer cells, blood cancer cells, immune system cancer cells, connective tissue cancer cells, central nervous system cancer cells, or mesothelial cancer cells. Cancer cells continue to produce copies and are also able to spread from one part of the body to another. This process of spreading is known as metastasis.

Different cancer cells are used for diagnostic purposes in order to detect numerous cancer types in the clinical setup. Furthermore, scientists have recently discovered a molecule on the surface of tumors that appears to promote drug resistance by converting the tumor cells back into a stem cell-like state. However, several existing drugs (bortezomib) can attack this pathway. These drugs re-sensitize tumors to treatment.

What are the Similarities Between HeLa Cells and Cancer Cells?

• HeLa cells and cancer cells are two types of immortal cells.
• Both show uncontrollable growth.
• These show metastasis flow.
• The enzyme telomerase is used to extend the life span of both.

What is the Difference Between HeLa Cells and Cancer Cells?

HeLa cells are immortal cells derived from cervical cancer cells extensively used in scientific research, while cancer cells are immortal cells that can be classified based on their origin in the human body. Thus, this is the key difference between HeLa cells and cancer cells. Furthermore, HeLa cells are extensively used in scientific research, while cancer cells are mainly used in the diagnosis purposes of different cancers in a clinical setup.

Below is a summary of the difference between HeLa cells and cancer cells in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – HeLa Cells vs Cancer Cells

HeLa cells and cancer cells are two types of immortal cells derived from humans. HeLa cells are immortal cells derived from cervical cancer cells extensively used in scientific research, while cancer cells are immortal cells that can be classified based on their origins in the human body, such as epithelial cancer cells, blood cancer cells, immune system cancer cells, connective tissue cancer cells, central nervous system cancer cells or mesothelium cancer cells. So, this is the key difference between HeLa cells and cancer cells.

Reference:

1. “Hela Cell Line.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
2. “Cancer Cells.” Cancer Research UK.

Image Courtesy:

1. “HeLa cells stained with antibody to actin (green) , vimentin (red) and DNA (blue)” By Gerry Shaw – Immunocytochemistiry using antibodies to Actin and Vimentin, using fluorescent sandwich technique (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Cancer cells illustration” By NIH Image Gallery (Public Domain) via Flickr