FAQ's
Understanding Cancer and Its Treatment:
What is Cancer?
Cancer occurs when 1) an abnormal cell appears in the body; 2) it continues to divide and subdivide after it should have stopped; 3) these new cells eventually form a clump, called a tumor; 4) which, if unchecked will grow large enough to interfere with the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to nearby organs; 5) and the abnormal cells are of the type that can survive in parts of the body other than where they originated. These cells are called cancer cells.
To explain in more detail, the human body is a collection of cells that perform separate, specific functions, each linked to the others and operating in a highly regulated manner. In a normal cycle, a cell is born, matures and performs its designated function, and then "dies ". When a cell dies, it must be replaced by a new cell, and this is accomplished when a nearby cell divides in two and then those two divide and so on until the exact number of required new cells is achieved. Under normal circumstances, the birth and death of a cell is an exquisitely precise process.
Problems arise when, for reasons still unknown, a normal cell divides to replace other cells and gives birth to an abnormal cell. This abnormal cell does not stop dividing when it is supposed to and refuses to die on schedule. Such cells, if unchecked, divide and subdivide without end and eventually join together to form a tumor. As the tumor becomes larger, it impedes the functioning of nearby organs by intruding on their space and interfering with their supply of oxygen and nutrients. Eventually, unless the growth is stopped or the tumor is removed, the healthy organs are destroyed.
There are two types of abnormal cells. The first type of abnormal cell can survive only at its place of origin. That type of abnormal cell forms a tumor where it originates. This is called a benign tumor, which, while serious, can often be surgically removed, thereby ending the problem. The other type of abnormal cell, called a malignant tumor, is more dangerous because it cannot stop dividing when it is supposed to and it can thrive anyplace in the body. The ability to travel and survive in other parts of the body is called metastasis. Cancer cells form a tumor at the primary site and also in places to which it metastasizes.
Therefore, "cancer" is the generic name for over a hundred diseases that share similar characteristics of malignant cells. For cancer to be treated successfully, not only must the original tumor be controlled, but also the spread of disease (metastasis) must be stopped.
A leading contemporary theory states that abnormal cells may already be proliferating in our bodies as a normal course of our general health. The reason that these proliferating cells do not become cancerous may be that our immune systems are strong enough to destroy the cancer cells as they appear. Motion pictures have actually shown cancer cells being attacked and destroyed by immune system cells as if in battle. It is an inspiring sight. Some cancer patients use that image to visualize their body responding in a proactive manner.
The Immune System: Our First Line of Defense
Our immune system is an intricate system designed to protect the body from disease and from "foreigners" that invade through a break in the skin; via food or other ingested matter; by way of the air we breathe; or through the rays to which we are exposed. For cancer to take hold, the cancer cell appears when the immune system is not strong enough to rid the body of that cancer cell. One way to think about cancer is that the cancer cell is not strong itself, but that the body's immune system is not strong enough to carry out its assigned job -removing cancer cells from the body. This view of cancer is generally known as the immune surveillance theory.
Benjamin, PhD H. The Wellness Community Guide to Fighting for Recovery from Cancer. Putnam Books;1995;186-188.
