CANCER CELLS - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
News: India
to face ‘tsunami’ of chronic diseases like cancer: US-based oncologist
What's in the news?
● India
will face a tsunami of chronic diseases
such as cancer due to globalization,
growing economy, aging population and changing lifestyle making it
imperative for the nation to embrace technology-driven medical techniques to
prevent health catastrophes in an effective manner.
Cancer cells:
● Cancer
cells can be thought of as cellular cheaters because they do not follow the
rules of cooperative behavior.
● They
mutate uncontrollably, evade cell death
and take up excessive resources at the expense of the other cells. As these
cheater cells replicate, cancer in the body begins to grow.
● Cancer
is fundamentally a problem of having multiple
cells living together in one organism.
Apotosis:
● The
cancer suppression mechanisms have been evolving for hundreds of millions of
years to help keep would-be cancer cells in check.
● Cells
monitor themselves for mutations and induce cell death, also known as apoptosis,
when necessary.
Microbes and Cancer cells:
● Some
microbes can protect against cancer by helping maintain a healthy environment
in the gut, reducing inflammation and DNA damage, and even by directly limiting
tumour growth.
● Cancer-protective
microbes like Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus gasseri and Bifidobacterium bifidum are found
in the environment and different foods, and can live in the gut.
● These
microbes promote cooperation among cells and limit the function of cheating
cells by strengthening the body’s cancer defenses.
● Example:
Lactobacillus
acidophilus increases the production of a protein called IL-12 that
stimulates immune cells to act against tumors and suppress their growth.