What is cancer? How does cancer form?

Cancer is a disease that anyone can get, not just a certain number of people. In fact, cancer is caused by cells that are normally normal in the body - for some reason - mutated and become cancerous.

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease of cells, which are the basic structural units of the body. Our bodies are constantly producing cells to help us grow, to replace dead cells, or to repair damaged cells after an injury. Certain genes that control this process and which damage these genes lead to cancer. This damage often occurs in human life, although a small number inherit these genes from their parents. Normally the cells grow and multiply in a sequence. However, the damaged genes may develop abnormally. They can develop into blocks called tumors.

These tumors may be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancer). Benign tumors do not invade the organs and surrounding tissues of the body.

While melanoma will develop, it may be limited to the original area. If these cells are not treated or treated, they can invade beyond the original range and invade surrounding tissues, becoming invasive.

How does cancer form?

Cancer comes from a single cell, the basic unit of life. The transformation from a normal cell into a cancer cell is a multi-stage process, from a precancerous lesion to a malignant tumor. These changes are the result of the interaction between genetic factors of a person and three types of external agents, including:

1. Physical pathogens, such as ultraviolet rays and ionizing radiation.
2. Chemical carcinogens, such as asbestos (asbestos), components of cigarette smoke, aflatoxin (a food contaminant), and arsenic (a contaminant of drinking water).
3. Biologic pathogens, such as some viral, bacterial or parasitic infections.

Cigarette smoke - The leading cause of cancer

In the process of growth and development, except brain and nerve cells are immutable (no more reproductive but only lost), the rest of the other cells will be replaced by new cells too. The process is called "Cell division".

Cell division is a periodic cycle that includes events that occur in one cell from the time of this division to the next cell division. In this process, the genetic apparatus and cellular components are duplicated to divide into two daughter cells. In humans (multicellular organisms) cell division is an extremely important process for a zygote (egg and sperm) to develop into a complete living organism and more to help supplement the body New cells replace dead cells (for example, your skin cells are dead, flaky, there are new cells instead). It is estimated that about 300 billion new cells are born every day.

The process of cell division in all organisms shares a common feature of replicating and communicating their entire and precise genetic information to daughter cells. Therefore, mother cell DNA must be exactly duplicated and must be equally distributed to daughter cells so that each daughter cell receives the same DNA as the mother cell.

Cancer appears due to DNA damage.

During human life, DNA can be affected and damaged by environmental factors such as ultraviolet (UV) from the sun, cigarette smoke, toxic chemicals, radiation, and unstable molecules caused by the body during anabolism, often called free radicals. Agents can block cellular vital activities such as gene transcription, which is the first step in protein production. As a result of these effects, it is possible to create cells with "abnormal" DNA.

Magnetic agents outside the environment work continuously every day, causing cells with "abnormal" DNA. But the human body is a magical machine! The body responds to this condition in two ways:

1. Cells have several mechanisms to repair damaged DNA before they can cause a problem for the body. This repair mechanism involves a protein called Cockayne A (CSA). CSA functions to repair damaged DNA. CSA was created under the guidance of ERCC8 gene;
2. The body's immune system can recognize "abnormal" cells and destroy them. These two mechanisms explain the fact that most "abnormal" DNA-carrying cells (called "precancerous" cells die before they can cause cancer. Only one A small number of these cells are "net" and turn into cancer.

The repair of abnormal cell DNA takes place regularly. In case the repaired gene itself is damaged (the skilled worker is ill) and the immune system is impaired, while the cells that carry the damaged DNA are constantly being born every day and every hour but not Promptly repairing or destroying will lead to the situation of cells replicating and duplicating damaged DNA, creating a generation of daughter cells that carry damaged DNA and thus lead to consequences or sacrifice. This "bug" cell dies or they live and proliferate and cancer appears.

Cancer cells will circulate in the lymphatic and blood systems and find the weakest part of the body to "settle" there. Cancer cells proliferate to form cancer tumors. The majority of cancer tumors develop slowly, from formation to recognition, it takes about 5-15 years. Of course there are also many cases with much shorter time.

Statistics on cancer incidence in the world and in Vietnam

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the world. Cancer affects people regardless of nation, race or religion. The table below will show you the number of new cancer cases every year, the number of people currently living with cancer in the world and in Vietnam.

WORLD (Globocan 2008)

In Viet Nam:

Source: International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO, http://globocan.iarc.fr/

Cancer can be minimized and controlled through the application of cancer prevention, detection and treatment strategies. Many cancers have a high chance of healing if diagnosed with cancer early and fully treated