Why is CANCER so deadly?

Question

My great-uncle died from cancer of the oesophagus (the food tube from the mouth to the stomach) It then spread to other organs, such as the heart and lungs. What makes the body decide to turn on itself? And why do children get? They're so young!! It's just so sad :(

Answer 1

Because is a deadly disease.......

Answer 2

Cancer is so deadly because the cells are those from your own body, so your immune system doesn't recognise them as being a threat.
There was a treatment devised in the 1800's that some doctors are trying to revive. It involves injecting material into the mass to trigger an immune response, your immune system then sees the cancer as a threat and removes it.
Its remarkably successful. At the time it was taken over by Madam Curies discovery of radiation and the effect it has on living tissue. But this method is less harmful and stressful; its like having the flu for 2 weeks.
I remember reading about it in New Scientist and being impressed by the test study; then have heard nothing since.

Answer 3

The body is a machine and sometimes machines malfunction. Cancer killed my mother when I was 9 and she was just 36. My grandmother and my aunt were also killed by the same form of cancer (ovarian). The best thing to do is catch it early. Women over 35 should get their tubes tied. Smoking and birth control pills is a deadly combination.

--- And to correct msdudash@sbc, there is a lot of "decent medicine" to fight cancer. My mom died in 1976. Since that time there have been huge leaps foward towards fighting cancer on a multitue of fronts. People are fighting and beating cancer every day because of dedicated scientists who hate this vile disease as much as I do.

Anyone who says American Medicine is "not decent" doesn't know what the hell they are talking about. Some day Cancer will be eradicated. I hope I live to see it. I hope we all do.

Answer 4

It's not that the body turns itself off.. it's the opposite- cells go wild and out of control, mutating and eating up all over cells and normal processes.

Nobody knows the exact cause, but there are many links- genetic, stress, diet, lifestyle etc. In the case of young kids, this is mostly genetic or random.

Yeah it's sad to see such a thing, but at the same time, these kids also can teach us a lot about life.

Answer 5

Breast melanoma is certainly not virtually viewed 'cured', since it may possibly return at any time - even years after diagnosis and remedy. That does not imply breast cancer is certainly not cured, simply that it's no longer possible to say for definite whether any individual who's had breast cancer is cured. The time period 'no proof of sickness' (NED) is used alternatively. No, breast melanoma will not be moe effectively cured or treated than different cancers. And yes, individuals di of it. In the U.S. An common of 112 women a day (that's one evey 15 minutes) die from breast cancer; within the UK that normal is 33 a day. UT there are extra breast caner survivors than ever earlier than, and if breast melanoma is observed in its early stages the prognosis may also be superb. Even when it can be not caught early, the effect can be good; I was once diagnosed with stage 3 breast melanoma over 6 years in the past. I had surgery, chemo, radiotherapy and hormone cure. I am presently match and well without a signal of cancer.

Answer 6

My father died at the age of 40, from AIDS, essentially, and I never met him. I was only 13 at the time. My dad wasn't a very nice person, and he'd been deported when I was only 2 and a half years of age. He'd died within 3 years of contracting the terrible disease, and there are no pictures of him during that terrible time in his life. I hate the fact that I will never meet, supposedly, the most important man in my life. I'm noly 15 now, but I'd always planned to get older, get famous, and turn up on his doorstep saying: "Look what you've missed out on, dad". I was originally told that lung cancer had killed him. He did have some sort of lung disease, but, to this day, no one has informed me what really happened (he died on 2nd December 2004. I was told on 21st December 2004).
My boyfriend's mum died when he was only 14 - about a year ago - and it was of cancer. I don't know the details but, he's only 15, also, and he only ever speaks to me about it now.
My form tutor's dad died of cancer, and she is now very angry at the health service people that say "5-a-day!", as we were told it helps keeps cancer at bay - her father was healthy, he ate well, he didn't smoke, and he looked after himself very well. Cancer can strike anyone, and serious illnesses are heartbreaking for the people around, but it's just one of these things in life - the things that suck, and we're gonna have to deal with sooner or later. Like death...

Answer 7

Basically, cancer arises as a transcription error in the replication of DNA. There are many more transcription errors than cause cancer, but once in a while, the error is in a part of the DNA that allows activation of a gene that initiates the cancer. Basically, the problem with malignant cells is that the cells lose their ability to stop deviding, as the cells that live in that organ usually do, and thus, a tumor is formed. Because the cells have "run wild" and have lost their ability to behave in the way that the original configuration told them to.

Answer 8

We all have potential cancer cells, it just takes something to trigger them off, basically, they become mutant cells and grow hence turning the healthy cells into cancerous cells, this is why it spreads, there are so many different types of cancer, and many are now curable if caught in time, I am living proof of that, I had cancer, I had it all cut out had treatment and now I am free of it, or at least I have been for the last 2 years, I m sorry about your great uncle, but maybe it wasn't caught in time or was one of those unfortunate cancers that enough isnt know about yet to be able to cure it. Life isnt fair is it? I lost my sister at the age of 38, way too young.

Answer 9

I agree, it really is so incredibly sad for young children to have cancer, let alone an adult! It is usually deadly when left undetected for a length of time, I think certain cancers seldom CAN be detected in early stages... by the time symptoms show it is already too late. Cancer seems seems to me when the body malfunctions - cells change and turn against our bodies - they say certain chemicals can bring about these changes or sometimes we inherit genes which make us predisposed to cancers - I guess we or the future generations will find out one day - hopefully not in the too distant future.

Answer 10

According to World Health Organization, there are more than 100 types of cancers; any part of the body can be affected.
In 2005, 7.6 million people died of cancer - 13% of the 58 million deaths worldwide.
More than 70% of all cancer deaths occur in low and middle income countries.
Worldwide, the 5 most common types of cancer that kill men are (in order of frequency): lung, stomach, liver, colorectal and oesophagus
Worldwide, the 5 most common types of cancer that kill women are (in the order of frequency): breast, lung, stomach, colorectal and cervical
Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world.
One fifth of all cancers worldwide are caused by a chronic infection, for example human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer and hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes liver cancer.
A third of cancers could be cured if detected early and treated adequately.
All patients in need of pain relief could be helped if current knowledge about pain control and palliative care were applied.
40% of cancer could be prevented, mainly by not using tobacco, having a healthy diet, being physically active and preventing infections that may cause cancer.

Answer 11

Because it spreads and reproduces so quickly. It is like a wild cell on a rage! The body's immune system is weakened and the cancer cells find it easy to move in and take up residence. Children get it because they do not have fully grown immune systems yet or they are not developed to fight off the cancer cells which are only doing what they think it right and that is to grow and reproduce and they do that quite well.