Cancer is often very misunderstood. Lots of people think cancer is something you either have or haven’t got. But the truth is much more nuanced.
As others have pointed out, cancer happens when a cell production starts to multiply out of control. The transformation of a cell population from normal to malignant is not a sudden thing, but instead cells undergo series of changes.
In any case, cell populations are undergoing these transformations gradually, all the time. What hold this process in check is the immune system: it identifies the cells as abnormal and kills them.
That means the best way to envisage cancer is a stand-off, a draw between the immune system and the processes of cancer formation. When the immune system is impaired (e.g. anti-rejection drugs, AIDS) then cancer becomes much more common. When the cancer gets an advantage (carcinogens such as smoking, viruses such as HPV, radiation) then cancer becomes much commoner (but not inevitable).
That means most of us, most of the time, have a few cells in our body which would be cancerous if we could find them and test them. The overwhelming majority of these cells get killed by the immune system. The other thing is, no scan or test can detect them, so there’s no point looking.
When a cell population turns cancerous and does not get attacked by the immune system, it’s typically a clump of cells much smaller than a pin head. The rate of growth is exponential, but even so this means it stays very small for months or probably years before seeming to suddenly grow much quicker (this is what happens in an exponential process).
Recommendations:
- Eat healthy
- Healthy lifestyle
- Get enough rest
- Reduce your stress level
- Load your body with antioxidants
- Exercise, dance
To your optimal health
Dr. Maryam Safai