Cancer- Let’s fight it together !!
Introduction
Cancer !! I would rather call it “hope”. Honestly, I haven’t treated a cancer patient in my career. As like every invention, my treatise on cancer too has a motivation. So here I am with all my efforts to provide you the basic elements of cancer. I wish you are not here for yourself or for any of your beloved ones. If so, I hope this piece of information helps and you become an inspiring story for others. I have tried to keep it simple and short but I will continue to work on this article to bring out the best version.
[NOTE: This writing is just for understanding the rudiments of cancer and cannot be used as a guide for treating cancer patients.]
So, let’s begin with your very first question…. What is cancer ??
Before I answer this question, let me explain to you how the human body originates and develops. Now sit back and read carefully, I am sure the sequence of this topic is not gonna sound as complicated as you think.
When a female gamete (egg or ovum) unites with a male gamete (sperm) it forms a cell called a zygote. The zygote carries the DNA of both the gametes (male & female). It undergoes cell division and multiplies several times to form tissues, then organs, and then to a complete human body. Alright, now you clearly understand that a unicellular body multiplies to become a multicellular body. Probably your next question could be, what exists inside each cell ?? Certainly, it has several tiny structures, each having a unique job to perform. To name some of them, they are; endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, nucleus, and others. These tiny structures are responsible to carry out all the metabolic activities carried in your body every day. And that’s how the cells produce energy, proteins, and other reserves as the end products of the metabolic cycles.
From here I will take you back to the point where we discussed cell division. Notice that every cell divides vigilantly. When a cell realizes that it is no more functional, it dies. But before it dies it makes sure that there is a replacement of the dead cell with the functional one. This means they maintain a balance between the dead and the living cells.
Now imagine there is an imbalance here. What if there is no control on cell multiplication and the oxidative stress caused by free radicals further damages the DNA of the cell ?? Hold on... What is oxidative stress ?? What are free radicals ?? We will come back to this topic later, I insist you continue reading... So here is your answer. When cells multiply innumerably, they form lumps which can cause potential damage to the adjoining tissues. These lumps or tumors carry billions of cancerous cells. And this condition is called cancer.
Oxidative Stress
To understand the concept of oxidative stress, you must know what free radicals are. In simple terms, free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons. These unpaired electrons make the molecule unstable. Therefore to gain stability these molecules are in constant search of pairing themselves with other free electrons. During this process, they can severely damage the DNA. Interestingly, free radicals are the unavoidable byproducts of cellular metabolism. But the good news is our body has several mechanisms to thwart the negative effects of free radicals. Here comes in the free radical scavengers — antioxidants. The antioxidants are naturally produced by human bodies or can be supplied through the food we eat. We will discuss the cancer diet and healing later.
Now that you are aware of the term free radicals, you can understand the concept of oxidative stress better. Oxidative stress is a condition developed when there is an accumulation or overload of free radicals in the body. Unfortunately, this process can be responsible for the development of autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular & neurodegenerative diseases, and chronic degenerative illnesses like cancer.
Cancer treatment
I am sure whenever you hear of cancer, chemotherapy is the first thing that comes to your mind. Chemotherapy treats cancer with antineoplastic drugs or a combination of antineoplastic drugs. [You can find more info about these drugs on cdc.gov] So basically chemotherapy intends to kill the rapidly dividing malignant cells and inhibit the development of tumors. The drugs can be administered through veins or orally in pill form.
But sometimes chemo cannot differentiate between a normal cell and a cancer cell. This means it attacks both the cells ( normal & cancer cells ) in the same manner. And this is when side effects begin to appear in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Oncologists work to treat the patient while maintaining a balance of protecting normal cells and destroying cancer cells. This helps to mitigate the negative side effects as much as possible. Mentioned below are some of the side effects. Not necessarily every patient will experience all of them.
- Immune system depression: The immune system is suppressed which makes their body susceptible to illness & infection. Doctors would recommend the patients to avoid crowds and stay away from contamination.
- Fatigue: Accumulation of toxins can make patients weak and tired. In some cases, anemia can also be encountered.
- Memory Issues: Patients might complain of fogginess in recollecting events or forgetting words while communicating. You might hear the term chemo brain which actually elaborates the facts of cognitive impairment.
- Hair loss: As mentioned earlier chemo attacks the rapidly dividing cells. Unfortunately, hair follicles are one of those rapidly growing cells and are hence attacked first. Patients observe drastic hair fall while undergoing chemotherapy.
- Nausea & Vomiting: This could be the first note a doctor will mention before initiating the medication. Other gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and constipation may cause chronic indigestion and malnutrition.
Tests & Scans
Tests & scans (CT/MRI/others) are conducted to understand better what’s happening inside the body and what is to be recommended. Well among all of those, blood tests could be overwhelming. Doctors might ask for regular blood reports to evaluate complete blood count, tumor markers, and others. CBC measures the RBC, WBC, platelets, hemoglobin, and some other important factors. In addition to that, doctors will continue to monitor body electrolytes, kidney functioning, liver functioning, and others. Explaining tumor markers could be confusing and complex. In brief, I would say these are the proteins secreted (into the bloodstream) by cancer cells. But the presence of tumor markers alone cannot be used to diagnose cancer. This means even the normal tissues produce these markers. The subject of tumor markers is vast and oncologists follow these markers to diagnose and treat cancer effectively.
NUTRIGENOMICS
[This is a topic you would love to know about in the future. If you want to keep it simple you can skip and directly switch to the next one].
Introduction
There are two types of genes — the genes that stimulate cell division and those that inhibit it. The accelerators are called an oncogene and the latter is called tumor suppressor gene or anti oncogene. The oncogenes depend on a combination of proteins to promote cell multiplication —the receiver protein and the messenger protein. The receiver protein is placed on the cell surface while the messenger protein is present outside the cell looking for a specific receptor. When the messenger protein finds its receptor, they combine to form a complete contact, which induces a signal inside the cell to which the receptor was attached. These signals carry out a series of cascading reactions throughout the cell resulting in cell multiplication.
On the other hand, P53 (tumor suppressor gene) directs the cells to commit suicide (apoptosis) whose genome cannot be repaired. Apoptosis avoids the risk of damaging the adjacent cells. Imagine a cell produces excessive growth factors or a mutation causes p53 nonfunctional. Either of the cases can be fatal and have a high chance of malignant cell multiplication or developing cancer.
Not going into much further details, take a pause and question yourself, what is the relationship between genes, cancer, and nutrition ?? Nutrigenomics is your answer — — a science that studies all these connections.
In other words, nutrigenomics can be referred to as the study of the effect of biocompounds on the expression of genetic makeup. For eg: how a food component enhances or hinders a chemical reaction absolutely necessary in carcinogenesis. Essentially, nutrigenomics studies the dietary components that protect the genome from damage.
THE CANCER DIET
Fish
Undoubtedly fish are good for a myriad of nutrients like protein, selenium, zinc, copper, iron, vitamins, and so on. But picking up a better fish for your meal is a bit tricky and truly important. Well, the species of the fish and from where it is collected really matters. The presence of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), heavy metals, and POPs (persistent organic pollutants) can be highly toxic and can increase the risk of cancer. Ask me why ?? The biological half-life of these elements or pollutants is long enough to inflict their carcinogenic effect before they disappear. Say some 10 to 30 years or maybe more.
Alright now, all you want to know is which species of fishes are good to consume or less contaminated. Right ?? That’s your homework for today. Be smart and ask your dietician, about the fishes to be avoided and most importantly, what is the recommended intake frequency of the permitted fishes because the level of contamination varies depending on its breed.
Red Meat
The scientific evidence to show the connectivity of red meat with cancer is still unsure. Studies conducted in the early 1990s show the high risk of cancer on regular red meat consuming women and had negative findings on men. Hence researchers have consolidated these studies and stated that excessive consumption of red meat can increase the risk of cancer. However, there are certain factors that have proven carcinogenic effects and can be prevented by some traditional measures.
For example cooking the red meat at a very high temperature ( for eg: grilling or barbecue ) till the surface turns black tends to increase the carcinogens. Similarly, there are other factors like the fat percentage, the type of food you combine with red meat, the red meat recipe you opt to eat, the source of your meat — whether it’s grass-fed; are fairly potential enough to exhibit carcinogenic effects. Speak to your dietician to follow the intake permit and right cooking methods to formulate your eating patterns.
Dairy Products
When we say diary products, we are actually addressing a huge variety of products. Though all these products have a common origin (milk), they differ in terms of composition, chemical properties, nutritional value, and whatnot. I assume you are well aware of lactose intolerance. Even if not, you do understand that the ability to digest milk is not the same for all, right ?? Provided the diversity in dairy products and their properties, I believe it won’t be appropriate to give a general statement on the relation of dairy products with cancer. Several studies have been conducted earlier which state the effect ( yes & no) of dairy products on colon and prostate cancer. To avoid confusion, I would recommend you to speak to your dietician and enhance your knowledge on prebiotics, probiotics, and gut health. This will help you understand, at a given point of health, do you really need to take dairy products or you can simply skip it from your meal plan.
Fruits & Vegetables
Antioxidants (such as vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene), trace elements (like selenium, zinc, manganese), enzymes, and some other compounds work effectively against the free radicals either directly or indirectly. These micronutrients with antioxidant properties are readily available in our food. These phytocompounds have the ability to detoxify carcinogenic substances and regulate our immune system. This is why it is crucial to be sensible about their dosage and the dietary principle of your intake. To summarize, append all colors of vegetables (red, orange, yellow, green) to your meal because each color signifies the presence of the phytocompound.
In Conclusion
“Scars may heal, blood counts may normalize, years may pass. But never again will the simple act of waking up to a normal, boring day as a healthy individual be taken for granted, nor go unappreciated”.-Allison A., Cairo, Egypt
Dear Fighters,
This journey could be painful and disheartening but life after the win will be more beautiful than ever before. I admire all the cancer survivors and the caretakers for their strength and determination -you are truly the REAL HEROES.
REFERENCES
David Khayat, MD (2010) The Anti-cancer Diet, 2nd edn., New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Mike Herbert, ND (2015) Stay Healthy DURING CHEMO, Newburyport: Conari Press.
Vicki A. Jackson, MD, MPH and David P. Ryan, MD with Michelle D. Seaton (2017) Living with Cancer, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
