Why is cancer bad?

[James3shin]

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: MeddyDuo
If it is just overgrown tissue, can't they just keep removing it?

Because the cancer keeps replicating. It also spread via the bloodstream. That replication requires nutrients and therefore takes most of the nutrients that are supposed to go to the other tissues in your body and kills the normal tissue. Most cells go through apoptosis before the DNA degrades and becomes cancerous, but once it becomes cancerous the allosteric reactions are inhibited and the replication (mitosis) of the cancerous cell keeps going. They have cancer cells that are continuing to grow from the 1960s in a Petri dish.

If the cancer cell is benign, it usually means your immune system was strong enough to kill sthe cancer, so in those cases, yes you can just remove the benign cancer cell. It is crucial to remove the benign cell because a trace of malignant cells could be there still. Also, the benign tumor still impedes normal tissue growth.

For malignant cells - those suckers literally suck the life out of you.

With all due respect, the answer you gave is misleading. First, benign cancers do not metastasize, only malignant tumors are able to do so. Your statement about the immune system is also incorrect, if our immune systems were able to handle cancer, we would not have the problems curing cancer. The idea of nutrients being sucked away by cancer cells is also misleading. If that was the case, we could just give patients nutrients all day to keep them fit, unfortunately that is very distant from reality.

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: MeddyDuo
Ok well thanks to those who gave serious answers.

Just bear in mind, or rather, beware, when in the Off Topic section, seriousness is tough to find.

True but stupifyingly naive oversimplified questions are a dime a dozen.

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: James3shin

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: MeddyDuo
If it is just overgrown tissue, can't they just keep removing it?

Because the cancer keeps replicating. It also spread via the bloodstream. That replication requires nutrients and therefore takes most of the nutrients that are supposed to go to the other tissues in your body and kills the normal tissue. Most cells go through apoptosis before the DNA degrades and becomes cancerous, but once it becomes cancerous the allosteric reactions are inhibited and the replication (mitosis) of the cancerous cell keeps going. They have cancer cells that are continuing to grow from the 1960s in a Petri dish.

If the cancer cell is benign, it usually means your immune system was strong enough to kill sthe cancer, so in those cases, yes you can just remove the benign cancer cell. It is crucial to remove the benign cell because a trace of malignant cells could be there still. Also, the benign tumor still impedes normal tissue growth.

For malignant cells - those suckers literally suck the life out of you.

With all due respect, the answer you gave is misleading. First, benign cancers do not metastasize, only malignant tumors are able to do so. Your statement about the immune system is also incorrect, if our immune systems were able to handle cancer, we would not have the problems curing cancer. The idea of nutrients being sucked away by cancer cells is also misleading. If that was the case, we could just give patients nutrients all day to keep them fit, unfortunately that is very distant from reality.

Your immune system attack free radicals that cause cancer. But yes, I was wrong on that, sorry. Currently research is being done to get TCells to attack cancer though. Free radicals and cells that are undergoing apotosis are attacked by the immune system. If those free radicals and old cells are not taken away and recycled by the immune system, they can cause cancer. Lymph nodes fill up with this crap.

I thought Benign tumors could have been malignant at a time but died out because of lack of nutrients and such. At least that is what happened in Lance Armstrongs case. He had testicular cancer cells that spread to his lungs, brain... In his brain the tumors had died and were benign. But I guess that could be wrong. I will have to look it up.

As for the malignant cancer, the cancer stealing nutrients is only part of the problem, as it grows it also impedes normal tissue functions as well, so yes that was vague but not wrong.