What makes cancer cells dangerous?

Around the world, 1 out of 6 deaths is the result of cancer. Unlike some diseases, there are no known vaccines to prevent cancer, and the best way of treating cancer is to remove the cancer cells at an early stage. Once cancer spreads to other organs, it becomes a death sentence. And while the causes of some cancers are widely known, others develop without no known cause. To truly know how dangerous cancer is, one must first understand what it does to the body and how it destroys it from within, says Dr. Paolo Boffetta.

Regular cells are usually bound by certain rules. Normal cells know when to stop growing. When they have served their purpose, they initiate a sort of self-destruct sequence. They also communicate with other cells to help the body survive. Cancer cells do none of these. Cancer cells do not stop growing. They ignore signals telling them to self-terminate, which creates an internal imbalance of cells. And the only thing cancer cells do in terms of communicating with the body is to deceive the body into thinking that it's just fine.

Cancers that form tumors are good examples of cancer cells that won't stop multiplying. They can severely inhibit the function of organs, which can cause them to fail. Likewise, cancer cells that spread throughout the body latch on to other organs and eat away at healthy cells as it divides.

Dr. Paolo Boffetta notes that the difficulty in catching cancer in its early stages and the challenges of treating cancer both account for all cancers' mortality rate. This is why people need to know what type of cancer they are most likely to get and the early signs of that cancer.

Dr. Paolo Boffetta is an epidemiologist and researcher who has published more than 1,300 scientific articles and 80 book chapters. He specializes in the study of environmental factors for cancer. With many years of experience, he has contributed to understanding the role of occupation, environment, alcohol, smoking, and nutrition in disease development. More insightful reads on cancer here.