Why does the cancer occur and how does it get its power, so that our body can’t resist it? Why we can’t always cure the cancer? How come a chemotherapy that was effective for a few courses, becomes ineffective? Why does it have a recurrence? In this article the biology of cancer cells and how they fight our immune system is discussed and can there be any final cure for cancer?
Also, we can’t determine the eye color we would have, and we can’t make our body cells only have benign mutations. Some of them inevitably would be malignant. However, the human body has a sophisticated immune system that may prevent those mutations from happening and fight cancer.
Why then people suffer from cancer?
Oncology is a line of consequences. A cell becomes malignant after a mutation. Right after it gains a few new features – creates a “shield” that makes it invisible to immune cells and then becomes immortal by parting quickly. Therefore, it needs more supplies, so it creates new vessels around it which makes it feel comfortable to grow.
When the tumor becomes strong enough to resist an immune system it shatters all defenses it has and starts to grow quickly.
Malignant cells have many ways to hide from an immune system. Here are some of them:
- Cancer cells can put special agents on their surface so it would stay unnoticed as a normal tissue for immune cells. Like chameleon.
- They can produce special substances that suppress T-lymphocytes – main actors or an immune system.
- Tumor creates a blood barrier that prevents immune cells from passing through.
- In some cases, malignant cells can intrude immune cells and be transported this way.
- Recently it was shown that cancer cells can mimic their “cellular passport” to appear like growing stem cells or healing wound.
- It might also grow too fast for the immune system to deal with it.
This is a lesser part of the features that prevent our body from fighting cancer properly. The research reveals more and more ways malignant cells fight the immune system, and the more ways are found the more treatment targets are made. Future medicine stands for personalized treatment, when concerning multiple factors regarding cancer and the body, it would be tailored personally.
On what modern medicine can offer as an effective cancer treatment, please watch Dr. Ivashkov’s video: