On a calm morning, Mr. Zhang, a retired teacher, was enjoying his customary morning walk when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. A few hours later, he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in the hospital. This news not only shocked Mr. Zhang and his family, but also left them with an unanswerable question: Why did cancer cells choose the path of self-destruction while taking human lives?
This deceptively simple question hides one of the most complex puzzles in the life sciences. Why do cancer cells, these cells that once activated, endlessly ** and spread, embark on a path of coexistence and death with the host? In the search for answers, we can not only gain insight into the nature of cancer, but also explore the fundamentals of biology and even the meaning of life itself.
Biological decoding of cancer cells
Cancer cells, a word that often evokes fear and anxiety, are actually products of mutations in our own cells. These cells have forgotten how to stop** and no longer follow the normal rules of the body. They are characterized by the ability to multiply infinitely and the mechanism of escape from death, which is achieved through a complex series of molecular and genetic alterations. Normal cells maintain good health through a process called programmed cell death, but cancer cells avoid this process by altering their genes, allowing them to grow uncontrollably.
Furthermore, cancer cells are able to build their own blood** system through a process called angiogenesis, ensuring that they receive enough nutrients and oxygen to support their rapid growth. They are also able to travel through the blood and lymphatic systems in the body to reach new parts of the body to form new tumors, a process called metastasis. Metastasis is one of the most dangerous features of cancer, it greatly increases the difficulty of cancer and is the leading cause of cancer death.
The logic of self-destruction: the paradox of cancer cells
Behind the cancer, there is a seemingly paradoxical phenomenon:Why do cancer cells grow by destroying the host – our own body – even if that eventually leads to their own demise? This question touches on the essence of cancer cell behavior: unconscious biological evolution.
The behavior of cancer cells is not intentional, but the result of unconscious biological processes. Their goal is to survive and reproduce, but due to errors in their genetic program, this leads them to act in a short-sighted way, optimizing their short-term proliferation and ignoring the sustainability of long-term survival. This behavior of cancer cells is, from an evolutionary point of view, a failure. They support their uncontrolled growth by consuming the host's resources, eventually leading to the death of the host without other populations or ecosystems capable of supporting their survival, creating a self-destructive cycle.
This seemingly self-contradictory behavior reveals a key weakness of cancers: their extreme dependence on resources within the host. This provides a new way for cancer** to inhibit the growth of cancer cells by depriving them of the resources they need or altering their microenvironment. For example, restricting angiogenesis can cut off the "lifeline" of cancer cells, making them unable to obtain nutrients and oxygen, thereby inhibiting their growth.
Cancer cells seem to behave in violation of basic principles of survival in biology: Why are they doomed themselves to extinction while destroying their hosts, that is, their habitats? The mechanism behind this behavior is not motivated by self-destructive intentions, but is driven by their underlying biological characteristics.
First, cancer cells lack the ability to assess the impact on long-term survival. Their main driver is indefinite proliferation, which is caused by their genetic variation. These variants allow them to ignore the body's normal growth control signals, constantly ** and expand. However, this rapid proliferation requires a large amount of resources, including oxygen and nutrients, and the result is that the resources within the host body are rapidly depleted, leading to a deterioration of the internal environment and ultimately posing a threat to the survival of the cancer cells themselves.
In addition, this behavior of cancer cells also reveals how they optimize their immediate survival and reproduction through a short-sighted evolutionary process, without the ability to take into account the long-term consequences. This short-sighted evolutionary strategy, to some extent, provides a possible breakthrough for cancer**. For example, by limiting the resources needed by cancer cells or altering their microenvironment, it is possible to inhibit their growth and even induce their death.
On the basis of understanding the non-self-protective behavior of cancer cells, we can develop new strategies in a more targeted manner, while also emphasizing the importance of preventive measures.
Targeting: This approach is designed to directly attack specific molecular mechanisms of cancer cells, rather than affecting both healthy and cancer cells as is the case with traditional chemotherapy。By targeting those specific pathways that enable cancer cells to multiply rapidly, the growth of cancer cells can be more effectively inhibited while reducing damage to normal cells.
Immunization**:The body's own immune system is used to recognize and attack cancer cells. Immunity** offers a whole new direction for cancer** by enhancing the immune system's ability to specifically recognize and kill cancer cells, or by designing immune cells that specifically recognize and kill cancer cells.
Lifestyle modification and prevention strategies:Healthy eating habits, regular physical activity, and avoiding known carcinogenic factors, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, can significantly reduce the risk of cancer. In addition, regular cancer screening can detect cancer early, greatly improving the success rate.
Early detection:Early detection using advanced imaging techniques and biomarkers can detect cancer before it progresses to a stage where it is difficult to **, providing timely**.