Sadly there are so many people who have fallen prey to this deadly disease. There are a vast number of people who have survived cancer of many types and in doing so live with the aftermath of the disease and then there is the sad fact that so many have died from these horrible disease as well. Research is advanced and ongoing and researchers and scientists continue their diligent efforts of trying to find a cure for this life-threatening disease.
What is Cancer
Cancer is actually the name that is given to a series of diseases that affect the body’s cells by causing them to multiply and spread into tissues that form tumors. It is a genetic disease that can be inherited or can develop through the years as body cells become damaged when exposed to certain environmental elements. Environmental substances that can aid in the production of cancer cells include tobacco, the sun’s rays, asbestos, and radiation to name a few. The cells in the human body grow and will divide and multiply into the formation of new cells that the body needs. As these body cells age they typically become damaged and then eventually die with new body cells coming in to take their place. Cancer can begin anywhere in the body and when it develops the normal cell reproducing process is interrupted and begins to break down. When this break down occurs the cells in the body start to take on an abnormal presence. The aged and damaged cells manage to survive instead of die and new extra cells begin forming in the body. It is these extra cells that continue to divide and eventually form tumors in the human body.
When these new cells continue to divide out of control they become severely invasive. These invasive cells are capable of completely ignoring the signals that the body typically sends directing cells to stop dividing or the signals sent telling the body to get rid of those cells that are not needed. In addition, these cancer cells are able to interact with surrounding normal cells directing them to provide oxygen to the growing tumors. Further cancer cells invade the immune system of the body by escaping the process initiated by the immune system to rid the body of damaged or abnormal cells. These cancer cells form into tumors and can actually thrive on the immune system to stay alive and continue to grow.
Effects of Cancer on the Body
Different types of cancers affect the body in vastly different ways. Most cancers can form swollen masses or tumors within the body and can produce excessive pain to the body or cause organs in the body to malfunction and even shutdown. The most negative effect cancer cells have on the human body is the ability to invade and completely break down and destroy healthy structures which ultimately results in excessive pain, excessive bleeding, varied blockages throughout the body and a reduction in the production of normal body cells. These tumors that are formed are further able to move throughout the body from one location to another destroying cells as they travel, a process called metastasis, and when invading the new locations cause continued damage and destruction to healthy normal cells while producing more of the bad cells. A prime example of this destructive and even deadly process is cancer of the breast travelling on to the lungs, then to the prostate and ultimately invading the bones. The effects that cancer has on the human body are causing extensive pain, discomfort, bleeding, and even death.
Conclusion
The research and study of cancer continues today with new discoveries happening every day. Recently scientists have discovered a whole new group of molecules that actually kill cancer cells while protecting the healthy cells at the same time. These discoveries and many more are ongoing and with the dedication and hard work of thousands of researchers and scientists throughout the world there is hope that one day soon there may actually be a true cure for cancer.