Cancer cells are abnormal, malignant cells which spread and grow
excessively, destroying healthy cells and tissue. Cancer cells are the
most basic underlying unit of cancer irregardless of the location of
the tissue affected. However, depending on the location of the cancer
cells and the location of the body affected, the prognosis, treatment
and death rates vary quite widely.
Through the very
process of living, the human body is constantly reproducing new cells
to replace those which are dying off. This process, known as mitosis is
carefully regulated by the body to ensure that cells are not
multiplying at an excessive rate, thus upsetting the body’s natural
homeostasis. Sometimes however, mutations or alterations take place
within a cell causing it to become malignant and multiply as cancer
cells. The failure to regulate the reproduction of malignant cells is
what allows the cancer to grow and spread at a much faster rate than
the healthy cells. Because of their ability to exponentially increase,
early detection of cancer cells generally allows for a better prognosis
and increased chance of successful treatment and survival.
Treatment
for patients with cancer is aimed at the successful removal and
elimination of all cancer cells and the rejuvenation of healthy,
functioning cells. In many cases, the cancer cells have clustered to
form a tumor which must first be removed surgically along with any
surrounding tissue which appears to have cancer cells present. Once the
cancer cells are removed, chemotherapy or radiation theory may be used
to kill any last cancer cells which may remain, thus stopping their
reproduction and growth. Although these treatments are often painful
and hard to endure by the patient, it is only through the successful
eradication of cancer cells that remission occurs.
In
conjunction with other treatments, doctor’s today are taking a more
holistic approach to eradicating cancer cells and restoring a patient’s
health. Some of this includes understanding the link between nutrition
and cancer as well as utilizing a patient’s own immune system to target
cancer cells with antibodies. Hormone therapy is used for specific type
of cancer cells which require the use of hormones to multiply by
blocking the specific hormone thereby stopping the spread of the
cancerous cells.