What Can One Do to Reduce the Chances of Getting Cancer (3)

Immune System

Nature provides a nearly perfect self-defense system in everyone’s body, the immune system.  The human immune system comprises a number of biological components and processes; it is a very complicated and powerful self-defense system born with us to fight against almost anything that invades our bodies.  Without the amazing immune system to protect us, most people will die quickly under the normal environment.

Let’s use an analogy to explain the immune system in a simple way; this time, let’s use a country to represent a human body.  As shown in my book, IS CANCER IN US, a country’s national defense system can be divided into two subsystems: (1) traditional system for general national defense including air force, navy, and army; (2) task-oriented forces for more specific tasks including FBI, CIA, local police, and national guard.  The traditional defense system of a nation is similar to the innate immune system in a human body; the flexible and more task-oriented national defense is similar to the adaptive immune system in a human body.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2017

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I wrote, "IS CANCER IN US", published recently.

What Can One Do to Reduce the Chances of Getting Cancer (2)

In this segment, we are going to briefly describe several principles that could reduce the chances of getting cancer; they are all related to two objectives: (1) avoid/lower the risk factor of getting cancer, and (2) strengthen the immune system.  The very basic principle to achieve both objectives is to live according to the rules of nature.

Human beings are amazing organisms created by Mother Nature.  Therefore, it makes a lot of sense for us to follow nature’s rules.  In a normal human body, different types of cells in different tissues live, function, and die as they are supposed to.  This is similar to a situation wherein ordinary people live in a normal community; in the community, everyone lives, works to contribute to the society, gets married, produces the next generation, and dies.  This general process was outlined in our unique human life cycle scheme in my book, IS CANCER IN US.  

However, there are a number of specific subjects that need to be further described in order to have a better understanding about reducing the chances of getting cancer.  They will be briefly described shortly.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2017
Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I wrote, "IS CANCER IN US", published in 2016.

What Can One Do to Reduce the Chances of Getting Cancer (1)

As mentioned in previous sections, there are three general strategies to deal with cancer: active prevention, early detection, and effective treatment.  Prevention is the area where we can do most and practice almost all the time. 

In terms of cancer prevention, in one’s everyday life, people need to take a good care of themselves with at least two goals in mind:

One should try to avoid and/or lower the risk factors of cancer to minimize the chances for normal cells or stem cells to become cancer cells;

One should strengthen the immune system.  One should maintain a healthy immune system so that, if and when any cell begins to become cancerous, the body’s immune system has a better chance to fight against the early-stage transition of normal cells to abnormal cells.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2017
Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I wrote, "IS CANCER IN US", published in 2016.

Novel/Unconventional Methods for Cancer Treatment (5)

(5) Modulation of the Immune System

      Supposedly, our immune system is well equipped and able to fight against all invaders.  However, cancer cells are very similar to normal cells as we mentioned many times.  As a result, they are camouflaged in many ways so that they can evade T cells to confuse and avoid the immune response.  If we can “remove” some of their camouflage and expose them to the immune system, they may be subject to the defense power of the immune system.  Several drugs in this class are already on the market, including Yervoy by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Keytruda by Merck & Co both approved for melanoma.  

Based on the current research activities, it seems likely that there will be more cancer drugs in this class coming out in the future.  One important factor to be emphasized for this type of cancer drugs is that patients must have healthy immune system and response so that T cells can “see” cancer cells and destroy them.  This is one of the reasons why it is important for everyone to maintain a healthy immune system. 

The other way to modulate the immune system is to remove some T cells from a patient, genetically modify them (so that they can look for and track cancer cells); these modified T cells are then multiplied in vitro before being returned back to the patient.  On such therapy is called CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell immunotherapy suitable for blood cancers. 

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

All contents posted in this blog are extracted from the book "IS CANCER IN US", available at Amazon.

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Although some commercial products, publications, and services are mentioned in this blog, the author does not endorse any specific products, publications, or services.  None of the contents in this blog represents or warrants that any of the products, publications, or services is appropriate or effective for their intended purposes. Readers shall always seek the advice of their physicians or other medical practitioners with any questions regarding personal health or medical conditions and shall be solely responsible for their own decisions and/or actions.