Cancer

Cancer is one of the most intriguing and frustrating paradoxes of life. Life on Earth evolved because of the susceptibility to mutation that that’s inherent in DNA. DNA is a fragile molecule that is easily damaged. And these are the damages that cause cancer. If DNA wasn’t fragile, though, then evolution wouldn’t happen. This disease, however, seems almost like an inherent element of life as we know it. What causes it? What can we do to prevent is? Can we really cure it? Let’s find out.

Causes of Cancer

It can be attributable in about 80% of cases to external environmental causes. We must understand, however, the inner mechanisms of our bodies that go wrong for it to occur. One of the hallmarks of tumor cells is that they lose control over cell reproduction. I think most people know this, but there are other important defining characteristics of this disease.

There are some tumors caused by viruses. Tumor viruses were discovered in a very interesting way, in 1910 by Peyton Rous.

Inherited mutations in tumor suppressor genes can allow cells to divide inappropriately. It turns out that about 10% of tumors are inherited. This includes about 10% of breast and colon tumors. Compared to non-inherited ones (called also sporadic), inherited tumors typically occur earlier in life. For instance, inherited breast tumors would manifest in women during their 20’s, instead of in their 50’s, as it is common with sporadic cases.

Most cases turn out to be sporadic, so they need many mutations in order for the tumor to form. These mutations are caused by something from the outside. Common causes are carcinogens. They are divided into three groups: physical, chemical and biological agents.

Cancer Statistics

It is interesting to look at the statistics. Thanks to research we know many facts about its incidence and the factors that contribute to it. There is a very strong racial and geographical bias in who gets this disease and who doesn’t.

Cancer treatment

How do we treat and cure this fearsome disease? There are three ways to treat it: surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

Breast cancer surgery has always been the first line of treatment for this disease, and remains so today, even though is the most invasive one. Surgery is the tool with which we can remove the bulk of the tumor most easily.

A second kind of treatment is radiation therapy. In this case we use high energy coming out of a radiation generator to create a release of energy within the patient’s DNA. Comparing this kind of treatment with surgery, radiation is going to give us excellent control of those microscopic margins, because we aim it in the area where the primary tumor is located, but also is going to have a wider spectrum.

In chemotherapy, we give drugs mostly intravenously. As you may know, within seven seconds they are going to get to virtually every cell in the body. The good thing about chemotherapy is that we don’t need a target. This is why it has become so important in metastatic tumors. We don’t need to know where the tumor cells are hiding, the drugs will get there. However, it is very toxic and it isn’t good for handling tumor bulk.