Sisters Embracing Life- RESOURCES
ARTICLES
Cancer and The Immune System
by Tanyanika Douglas TUCC Can-Cer-Vive Ministry Meeting March 19, 2005
What is Cancer Anyway???
Ø A disease with 2 main characteristics:
1. Uncontrolled growth of cells
2. Has the ability to invade and damage other tissues in the body (can spread or “metastasize”) – Ø Any part of the body can be affected by cancer (i.e. Brain, breast, blood, skin, bone, lungs)
How Do Cancers get Started?
Ø We have over a hundred trillion cells in our body.
Ø Cells are constantly dying and replacing themselves.
Ø In order to replace dead cells à living cells must divide, copy themselves, and pass on instructions for life (genes) to the new daughter cells.
Ø If there is an error in the copying process à daughter cells lack “correct” instructions for “normal” life à CANCEROUS CELL results.
Ø This “COPYING” process is more prone to errors as we age.
A CANCER CELL IS A FOREIGNER TO THE BODY