As the title says, I want to know how does cancer form and expand on the body and why is it so hard to treat sometimes.
Pd: I’m sorry if I wrote something incorrectly, english is not my first language.
In: Biology
So cancer are cells that don’t want to die.
Under normal circumstances cells die after a while. That’s how they work. However sometimes they arbitrary decide to stop hearing the body, and go amok. This causes them to multiple nonstop. The body normally can take care of it. It has multiple specialists for this job. In fact, this job is a common occurrence in your body. A healthy body neutralises multiple cancer cells throughout it’s life. The problem arises when their numbers increase a lot, or when they affect critical organs.
Cancer is difficult to treat because it’s made up of you. It’s not an different organism. Your cancer cells are essentially your cells. As such, developing a drug that kills cancer cells without hurting your good cells is difficult.
Due to their high respawn rate, even a single can wreck havoc on a weakened body. Thus the best way to kill cancer is by going full ala fever mode. Deal immense damage on your body HOPING the infection will die before the body does.
Ps a more, non eli5 reason as to why cancer cells forms, well when cells replicate, they essentially have their DNA copies. However, that is not perfect. Sometimes DNA is copied with some errors. These errors lead to cancer AND aging. Slightly off topic, but aging is probably caused by the shortening of telomeres. Telomeres are 2 small spots on the end of chromosomes. Like DNA, telomeres get reduced in every cell replication. Also fun fact, whales traditionally don’t get cancer. Due to their huge size, cancer needs to grow exceptionally large to cause significant damage. In fact they need to grow so big, that by that time, the cancer themselves have formed cancer on their own.
Sharks are also another species known for their, let’s say immunity to cancer. Crocodiles, although not known for their immunity to cancer, can’t really die of old age. Like, not the same we die of old age.
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