Replies to @doyourresearch The ecosystem of immunity, as you refer to it, is of paramount importance. But you...

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Prostate Cancer | Last Active: 5 hours ago | Replies (33)

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@heavyphil

@doyourresearch The ecosystem of immunity, as you refer to it, is of paramount importance.
But you are not factoring in mutations which occur spontaneously and repeatedly as our cells divide.
Many times, even the best primed immune system cannot suppress or mitigate these mutations, which then replicate until they become a real issue: cancer.
And I am just talking about the ho-hum mutations that we all face - not the genetic ones such as BRCA1 &2 and others.
Much luck is involved in getting from birth to death and not have cancer somewhere along the line. Best,
Phil

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Replies to "@doyourresearch The ecosystem of immunity, as you refer to it, is of paramount importance. But you..."

melvinw | @melvinw | Jun 15 12:30pm

@heavyphil Exactly Phil, exactly. And on the flip side of the mutation business, radiation therapy damages the DNA of cancer cells (induced mutation) such that when they divide, they die. But following radiation therapy, the race is on between how quickly and efficiently the tumor cells can repair the damage and how quickly they divide. And some tumor cells can have mutations that make them more resistant to radiation damage. Much luck is involved at the cellular level. But also, science has the potential to identify critical mutations, and to develop better and more targeted therapies.

That said, this does not diminish the importance of diet, exercise, good sleep, and reduced stress levels in fighting, and coping, with cancer.

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