“About 1,660,290 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2013, and in 2013 about 580,350 Americans are projected to die of cancer, almost 1,600 people a day. Cancer remains the second most common cause of death in the US, accounting for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths. (http://www.cancer.org/index) ”
This statistic
isn’t very detailed either. There are
several different types of cancer; none of which diminish the uninviting
reality of the disease.
You might ask:
“Well, what is cancer?”
Cancer is
defined as a malignancy. This malignancy
is an abnormal growth of cells. “The
growth and differentiation of cells in the body are normally strictly
controlled. Thus, with few exceptions,
cells in the adult body are largely quiescent.
However, for a variety of reason, a cell may be made to proliferate
uncontrollably to form a tumor (Wiley Asia Student Ed. FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOCHEMISTRY. Voet 2006).”
This unwanted growth that damages healthy organs is the uncontrolled
malignancy. The growth then continues to
spread toward other healthy organs. Cancer
symptoms vary widely based on the type of cancer. Cancer treatment could
include chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery.
The best way to
treat cancer is through early detection.
The diagnosis begins with routine self-exam or physical exams. “If the
diagnosis is positive (cancer is present), other tests are performed to provide
specific information about the cancer. This essential follow-up phase of
diagnosis is called staging. The most important thing doctors need to know is
whether cancer has spread from one area of the body to another. If the initial
diagnosis is negative for cancer and symptoms persist, further tests may be
needed. If the biopsy is positive for cancer, be sure to seek a confirming
opinion by a doctor who specializes in cancer treatment before any treatment is
started (http://www.webmd.com/cancer/default.htm).”
Cancer
research is ongoing. The cure isn’t far
away. We keep praying. New developments are constantly on the horizon. A recent headline on www.newscientist.com read, Antibody
wakes up T-cells to make cancer vanish , 17:07 04 June 2013 by Andy Coghlan
With this progress
researchers learned how to wake up otherwise slumbering T-cells. The T-cells are dosing off and permitting unrecognized
cells to proliferate. Full functioning
T-cells will instantly recognize and destroy foreign material in the body. Tumor cells became wise to that fact, though. Tumor cells evolved and masked themselves
with a sprout surface molecule called a ligand.
Ligands bind. On tumor cells, the
ligand binds and activates a receptor on the T-cell called PD-1. The PD-1 receptor is an almost perfect
mask. The T-cells can’t recognize
foreign material. The immune system
continues to produce tissues with the cancer as if everything were normal. The abovementioned antibodies can unmask the
cancer cell by blocking the ligand’s interaction with PD-1 ligand. Then, certainly, the T-cells can resume
destroying the foreign material eradicating the cancer. Research Lambrolizumab, and Nivolumab for
more details.
One day the
only subject that springs to mind on the term CANCER is the astrological sign.
