if our skin cells are constantly dying and being replaced by new ones, how can a bad sunburn turn into cancer YEARS down the line?

Question

if our skin cells are constantly dying and being replaced by new ones, how can a bad sunburn turn into cancer YEARS down the line?

In: 3306

Answer 1

It’s not just “the cell” that gets damaged, but the instruction manual or programming code it uses to know what to do that gets damaged or edited. That edited code gets passed to any copies it makes. If enough of those edits and changes accumulate over time in that lineage of cell, it can become cancerous. The code that tells it to self destruct can be broken, or the part that regulates its growth or rate or reproduction could be edited in ways that makes it take on a life of its own, rather than working in harmony with the rest of your body.