How Cancer Develops: A Detailed Explanation

Cancer – or cancer – is a term that refers to a group of diseases that are characterized by rapid and uncontrolled spread of cells in the body. But have you ever wondered how cancer develops?

In order for this disease to develop, the cells that make up an organ must undergo changes in their genetic material or in the proteins derived from these genes. At the same time, the origin of these changes may be hereditary or sporadic (spontaneous).

There are substances that have the ability to accelerate or detonate the processes that then lead to a particular type of cancer. These drugs are known as carcinogens and they are part of the risk factors for suffering from some form of cancer.

This is how cancer develops

Cancer begins in a cell. This cell avoids biologically imposed controls given the change in its functions and divides and grows uncontrollably in a part of the body. This process is completely linked to genes, as cancer is a genetic disease.

Genes carry the necessary instructions to produce proteins that define the behavior of each cell in our bodies. There are genes that are proto-oncogenes, and genes that suppress cancer.

• Proto-oncogenes are the genes responsible for stimulating cell division as a fundamental function of life. The development of babies during pregnancy and wound healing both depend on proto-oncogenes.
• Suppressor genes, on the other hand, are responsible for counteracting the above processes.

Any change in the balance between the functions of proto-oncogenes and cancer repressors causes irregularities in the cellular control system.

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This imbalance can lead to an increase in the production of a protein intended for cell growth. This simultaneously produces proliferation of a type of abnormal cell.

Another case may lead to the production of a protein with abnormal properties that cannot repair the damage caused by a cell. This affects a particular organ.

How cancer develops: Risk factors

Cancer is multifactorial in nature. In other words, there are many components that play an important role in the people who develop this type of disease. Similarly, science has been able to identify factors that increase the likelihood (risk) of suffering from at least one type of cancer. These substances are known as risk factors.

We can understand a little more about the concept of risk factors by looking at the definition from the World Health Organization:

From this perspective, risk factors may include exposure to chemical products, personal habits or the job that a person performs. Experts often consider family history (a close family member who has had cancer) as one of the most important risk factors for hereditary cancer.

How cancer develops: The mechanisms

In order for the changes that affect the genes responsible for cancer to take place, several processes must occur. Among these processes we can point out:

• Exposure to carcinogens
• Spontaneous genetic defects that occur during cell growth
• Hereditary genetic mutations

We can refer to the first two processes listed above as sporadic cancers, all of which share the same specificity. The genetic changes that constitute their origin depend in 80% of cases on exposure to environmental risk factors (infections, radiation, chemicals).

Hereditary cancer syndrome

In the case of hereditary genetic mutations, we can refer to them as hereditary cancer syndrome. Hereditary cancer syndrome is a type of hereditary disorder. This means that family members are at greater risk of developing certain types of cancer.

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Cancer is relatively common. In fact, an estimated 1 in 3 people in the United States will suffer from some form of cancer. This means that it is not uncommon for more than one person in the same family to experience cancer.

However, it is important to point out that the fact that there is more than one case of cancer in the same family does not necessarily mean hereditary cancer syndrome.

When many cases of cancer occur in the same family, it often has to do with exposure. In other words, family members have been exposed to the same common risk factor, such as tobacco.

So with all this in mind, we can say that we are dealing with hereditary cancer syndrome when:

• The same type of cancer occurs in more than one family member.
• Cancer occurs at an earlier age than normal (for example, breast cancer in a 20-year-old woman).
• More than one type of cancer develops in the same person (a woman with breast cancer and ovarian cancer).
• Cancer occurs in both organs in a pair (both breasts, both ovaries, both kidneys).
• Cancer occurs in several generations of the same family.

Conclusion

The term cancer groups a number of diseases with a common feature. The common feature is the rapid and uncontrolled proliferation of cells in the body. At the same time, this can be related to environmental factors, lifestyle and a family history of this disease.