Why does cancer occur?

Cancer is a word that scares many people in today's society. But it's not really a mystery. Cancer is the result of some chaotic processes that take place in the big city called our body. In this article, we will see how the laws of our body city are broken and a cancerous condition occurs.

Our body is like a law-abiding city!

First, let's look at our body as if it were a well-governed, law-abiding city.

Citizens of the city: Cells

The millions of citizens living in this city are called cells. Each of these cells has a specific task assigned to it. And there is an order, a law, by which they must work: when to grow, when to make new citizens (new cells) (Cell Division), when to retire after completing their service life (Programmed Cell Death - Apoptosis). All of this happens according to a set plan.

The city's rule book: DNA

DNA is the big rule book that dictates how this entire city functions, what every citizen (cell) should do and what they shouldn't do. Every cell works according to the instructions in this DNA book.

Mistakes in the Rulebook: Mutations

But, sometimes mistakes can happen in this big rule book. Like a letter or a word in a book being missed. We call these mistakes in this DNA rule book "mutations."

How Do These Errors Happen?

There are two main reasons why this rulebook is wrong:

1. Spontaneous errors: When creating new citizens (cells) in a city, small mistakes can occur spontaneously when copying the rule book (DNA).
2. External influences ( Carcinogens ): Some external factors can also damage this rulebook. Like ink falling off, pages burning, and letters fading. We call the external factors that damage this rulebook " Carcinogens ." (We will talk about this in detail later).

City Police: DNA Repair Mechanisms

Fortunately, our city has a group of talented police officers (genes related to DNA Repair Mechanisms). Their job is to find and repair mistakes in the law book (DNA) as soon as they occur. Most of the time, these police officers correct those mistakes. But sometimes, if the number of mistakes increases, or if the police (the repair genes) themselves are damaged, these mistakes cannot be corrected.

How the Cancerous Rebellion Begins

That's where the problem begins. As mutations in the rulebook accumulate, and two of the most essential laws for governing the city are broken, some citizens (cells) begin to rebel.

Breaking Two Important Laws

The two main rules that are broken are:

1. The law that controls the signal to initiate construction (cell division).
2. The law prohibits unnecessary or improper construction.

"Don't stop construction!" Signal jamming (Oncogenes)

There is a city official who gives the signal to "start building" (start cell division) (the normal genes for this are proto-oncogenes). Because of a mistake in the DNA rulebook, this official's signal is blocked, and he keeps shouting "Start building! Build more! Build more!" (these faulty genes are oncogenes). It's like stepping on the accelerator of a car and it gets stuck! So the cells start dividing without stopping.

Breaking the "Stop the wrong construction!" signal (Tumor Suppressor Genes)

Also, when buildings are being built unnecessarily in the city, there is another officer who says "Stop!", sends repair teams (DNA Repair) if there are any mistakes in the construction, and if it is impossible, orders the demolition of the building that is making mistakes ( Apoptosis - cell death) (the genes related to this are the Tumor Suppressor Genes ). Because of those DNA mistakes, this officer's "Stop!" signal stops working. Just like the brakes on a car stop working when they get old!

The result of cells breaking the rules: Cancerous Tumors

Now imagine, what happens when the accelerator gets stuck and the brakes stop working?

Uncontrolled Unauthorized Constructions

• Citizens (cells) continue to divide without stopping, breaking the rules.
• Even if it's wrong, it won't be repaired.
• They continue to exist without retiring (dying - apoptosis) at the right time.

These clumps of cells that break the rules and divide and grow together in an unnecessary way are what we call "tumors." They're like buildings being built without permission in a city.

Benign and Malignant Tumors

There are two types of these unauthorized constructions (tumors):

• Benign Tumors: Those who break the law in one place: These are like those who break the law and build a small illegal building in one place. It stays where it was formed, and does not spread to other cities. But depending on where it is (like blocking a road), it can be a bit of a nuisance.
• Malignant Tumors: Rebels who are disrupting the city: These are the most dangerous people! They don't just stop at illegal construction. They also break down the walls of their own land (invasion) and jump onto the lands they occupy.

The spread of the insurgency: Invasion and Metastasis

These malignant tumors don't stop there.

Conquering occupied lands: Invasion

Those rebel cells (Cancer cells break the boundaries of their place of origin (organ) and invade surrounding healthy tissue and land (invasion).

New colonies in distant cities: Metastasis

Even more dangerously, these rebel cells travel along the city's main roads (blood vessels) and side roads (lymphatic vessels), and even travel to distant parts of the city (other organs of the body - lungs, liver , brain, etc.), where they establish new illegal colonies (secondary tumors or metastases). This is called "metastasis". This is the most dangerous stage of cancer.

External Factors Affecting Cancer Risk

Let's now look at the external things (carcinogens) that damage the rulebook (DNA) that we talked about earlier. These are the ones that increase the risk of cancer.

Things That Damage the City's Law Book

• Tobacco: Like burning the law book: Cigarette, beedi, cigar smoke, and chewing tobacco (sometimes with betel) are major enemies that severely damage the law book (DNA). This is the cause of many cancers such as lung, mouth, and throat.
• Alcohol: As an obstacle to law enforcement: Excessive alcohol consumption not only indirectly damages the law, but also interferes with the body's repair mechanisms. It increases the risk of cancers such as liver, throat, and breast.
• Unhealthy Diet & Obesity : Like weakening the city's infrastructure: low-fiber, processed and high-fat/sugar diets, lack of fruits and vegetables, and obesity affect the city's overall health and stability of the rule book, increasing the risk of certain cancers (e.g. bowel cancer).
• Radiation & Chemicals: Like erasing the letters in a law book: The sun's harsh ultraviolet rays (UV radiation), radiation such as X-rays, and certain chemicals such as asbestos and pesticides can directly damage the letters in a law book (DNA).
• Infections: Like enemies entering the city:Some viruses [e.g., human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C] and bacteria [e.g., Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)] can enter the city, influence the rulebook, and over time contribute to a cancerous outbreak.

Conclusion: Understanding Cancer and Reducing Risk

So, cancer is not something that develops overnight. It is the result of damage (mutations) to the DNA, the rulebook of our body's city, over time due to various factors (our habits, environment, perhaps heredity), and the city's control (the control of cell growth and death) breaks down. The accelerator is stuck, the brakes are broken, and the law-breaking citizens (cells) behave out of control, invading the entire city.

When you understand this story, it is clear that it is important to protect our rule book (DNA) by avoiding carcinogens (tobacco, unnecessary alcohol, unhealthy foods) and living a healthy lifestyle (good food, exercise). Also, early detection of those who break the rules (cancer cells) when a problem (symptoms) arise or through tests will help stop this rebellion before it spreads to the wider world.