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When your body's cells replicate, they go through 3 phases. The first being the growth phase. The second being synthesis or replication of the DNA. The third being the phase where it checks over the replicated DNA to check for any errors (or spell check kind of). Cancer is when those body cells that are being replicated, are replicating way too fast for them to go through the 3rd phase and get checked for errors. Usually, when they are replicating this fast, there is some sort of mutation that is causing them to replicate this quickly.
When these cells skip the spell check, they have a mutation and this mutation causes the mutated DNA to take over all of the normal DNA. If the cancer is caught early enough, then there are technologies that can get rid of the small amount of mutated DNA but if noticed too late, the cancer cells have already taken over that persons body, and it would take some extensive treatment to even attempt to get rid of all the cancer cells..
Hopefully this helped answer your question. :)
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoGood question. Metastatic cancer means that the cancer has moved from it's primary organ to other organs. All it takes is one cancer cell to produce millions and millions of other cancer cells.
Metastatic cancer is difficult to treat because once it enters they blood stream or lymph system, it is like trying to find a "needle in a haystack"
Remember, in order to get rid of cancer, EVERY cancer cell must be removed. Once it has spread, it is very difficult to locate and get rid of them all.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoGreat question.
Cancer is difficult for the body to fight because cancer is your own cells misbehaving.
Cancer is the unregulated growth of cells. Normal cells receive signals to replicate and go through check points to ensure that everything is normal and healthy. Cancer cells typically replicate very quickly without the checkpoints. This leads to an accumulated mass of cells which is called a tumor.
Our immune systems are programed to find foreign matter, not their own cells. Since Cancer is the bodies own cells the immune system doesn't recognize it as foreign. Many types of cancer cells have also been found to secrete immunosuppressing molecules.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoit is difficult because cancer is your own cells, and they have just malformed. they also have to destroy thousands of cells, without injuring you to the point that you cant recover, so it is hard to make sure that they did get all of the cells, so the cancer doesn't come back
Wiki User
∙ 16y agobecause the disease always finds a way to evolve and get around the "cures" they come up with.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoBecause is starts out simply as a rogue-cell, and any treatment struggles to identify between it and another normal cell!
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoNo, not if it isn't let go. In the first stages it can be removed by getting it cut out in the area where it is found. Not much fun, but it works.
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Do b cells destroy cancer cells?
No, cancer cells express self antigens, so your body cannot recognize it as foreign or dangerous.
Treatments that use a combination of chemicals to destroy cancer cells?
Chemotherapy
What does radiotherapy cure?
Cancer; it uses radioactivity to destroy the cancerous cells.
A form of treatment in which drugs destroy cancer cells is called?
The form of treatment in which drugs are used to destroy cancer cells is called chemotherapy. Chemotherapy works by targeting rapidly dividing cells, which include cancer cells. It can be administered orally or intravenously, and it may be used alone or in combination with other cancer treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy, depending on the type and stage of cancer.
Can't you use ultra violet radiation to destroy cancer cells?
no u.v. light causes skin cancer
How do cancer cells behave inside the human body?
Cancer cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors. Although cancer cells can be quite common in a person they are only malignant when the other cells (particularly natural killer cells) fail to recognize and/or destroy them.
How do scientist use isotopes in treating cancer?
Radiations (alpha, beta, gamma, neutrons) emitted by radioisotopes can destroy cancer cells.
Can radiation kill pancreatic cancer?
When ionising radiation interacts with living cells is usually kills these cells. Thus yes, radiation can kill pancreatic cells that are cancerous. However the radiation will also destroy healthy cells (and destroy the pancreas) so the amount of radiation given has to be low and well targeted. This is difficult to achieve and if any cancerous cells remain alive they will regrow the cancer.
What are designer viruses used for?
this is used destroy cancer cells and leavethe good one unharmed
How is chemotherapy made?
Chemotherapy refers to the use of cytotoxic drugs in cancer treatment.'Chemo' means medicine or 'drug''therapy' means 'treatment'. Chemotherapeutic agents or drugs are 'magic bullets' that destroy the fast-dividing cancer cells. However these drugs are unable to differentiate between the normal cells and the cancer cells and they destroy the former too, in their war against cancer. This leads to certain side effects.
How does your immune system fight hpv?
The body releases white blood cells to destroy the cancer cells, if cancer hasn't affected with the immune system first. Somtimes cancer can be rid of before the person even knew they had it.
What is radio active theraphy?
Radiation therapy uses radiation from radioactive elements to destroy cancer cells. It works on the principle that cancer cells are more active than normal cells and more prone to radiation damage than normal cells.
