The Hallmarks of Cancer
Bulletpoints:
• Cancer development is a complex process and the “hallmarks of cancer” help us understand specific changes in normal cells that must occur for cancer to develop.
• Diet and lifestyle choices can help our bodies prevail against cancer for each hallmark are provided.
The Hallmarks of Cancer
Cancer development is a complex process, and the so-called “hallmarks of cancer” were developed as a useful framework to understand and categorize the kinds of changes that must occur in normal cells for cancer to develop. So, the hallmarks of cancer are not specific symptoms that all patients experience. Rather, the hallmarks describe the biological processes that are exploited or hijacked by cancer to form and grow.
Hallmark 2: Sustained Proliferative Signaling
One of the most important things our cells do is recognize when to grow and multiply. When you get a cut, your body springs into action, clotting the wound, protecting it from infection, and allowing your skin cells to regenerate and heal the cut.
Cell growth and multiplication are carefully controlled by the body through chemicals called growth factors. The cells can detect the concentration of growth factors and use that information to know whether to keep growing. This is essential for maintaining the architecture of the body.
In cancer cells, the chemical signals that lead to proliferation (multiplication) are sustained indefinitely. An analogy would be like driving a car with the gas pedal stuck on and no brakes!
For example, HER2 is an epidermal growth factor receptor whose overexpression in breast cancer is associated with increased disease recurrence and a worse prognosis (Esteva et al., 2010).
HER2 positive breast cancers have many copies of these growth factors compared to normal breast cells, enabling rapid growth. So, they do not stop even if the body runs out of room for new cells. These extra cells are what form cancerous tumors.
Research demonstrates that over time, environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and age can cause cells to be less sensitive to the chemical signals that regulate growth. This is why cancer is more common in older people, as well as those who smoke, abuse drugs, or have a sedentary lifestyle.
Curcumin, green tea, resveratrol, milk thistle, Astragalus membranaceus and Panax notoginseng, and piperine have been shown to promote appropriate cellular response to growth signals.
My husband, who holds a PhD in Biochemistry, and I developed a supplement that addresses each Hallmark. Hallmarks has active ingredients shown in scientific studies to help promote cellular health. Visit www.nutrafocusmd.com or visit our shop through the navigation bar on this site.