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This is it. This is what we should be focusing on with all the cancer research funds available. Cancer is just a data corruption in the cell DNA and we have a f

by mavdi 11y ago

This is it. This is what we should be focusing on with all the cancer research funds available. Cancer is just a data corruption in the cell DNA and we have a few methods of fixing data in the digital world.

jp555 11y ago
Cancer can mean different things. Would you consider a viral infection "just data corruption"? The virus "corrupts" a cell's DNA to manufacture more virus. Nothing is "just" when it comes to code that's been running for billions of years.
- i000 11y ago
  You should not forget about oncoviruses (e.g. EBV, HPV), also many oncogenes have viral homologs (e.g. RAF genes, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-Raf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-Raf)
- baldfat 11y ago
  Cancer is just a bad word for grouping things. A hard tumor (say bone cancer/osteosarcoma) is vastly different than say leukemia. Cancers types are Carcinoma (surfaces of the body i.e. skin), Sarcoma (tumors that originate in hard or soft tissue i.e. bone cancer), Lukemia (start in the blood, no tumors), Lymphoma (Hodgkin, Non-Hodgkin), Multiple Myeloma (starts in plasma cells), Melanoma (skin cancer), Brain and spinal cords, Germ cell (starts in sperm or egg cells but can be anywhere in the body), Neuroendocrine tumors (from cells that produce hormones), Carcinoid tumors (slow growing tumors in the rectum and small intestine and spreads to the liver). Cancer definition - The bad cells can spread to other areas of the body. Benign tumors do not spread into, or invade, nearby tissues. - http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/what-is-cancer http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/what-is-cancer
reasonattlm 11y ago
Would disagree. The thing that a sizable amount of cancer research funds should focus on is preventation of telomere extension. Selectively or periodically turn off all mechanisms of telomere extension, which covers telomerase activities and ALT, the alternative lengthening of telomeres processes. All cancers abuse telomere extension in order to thrive, it is required for rapid cellular replication. Normal cells are not so much in need of it, so turn it all of for some period of time until the cancer is gone then restore telomere extension capabilities. This will work for all cancer types. Telomerase interdiction can be achieved via RNAi or similar methods, while the hurdle to blocking ALT is that it isn't well understood at this time; the targets till need to be listed and understood. It will probably be the case that targeting telomere extension interdiction to cancer cells will be superior or even necessary, but fortunately selective targeting of cancer cells is a going concern in research, with considerable progress achieved already and more in the works.

by mavdi 11y ago

jp555 11y ago

Cancer can mean different things. Would you consider a viral infection "just data corruption"? The virus "corrupts" a cell's DNA to manufacture more virus. Nothing is "just" when it comes to code that's been running for billions of years.

i000 11y ago
You should not forget about oncoviruses (e.g. EBV, HPV), also many oncogenes have viral homologs (e.g. RAF genes, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-Raf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-Raf)
baldfat 11y ago
Cancer is just a bad word for grouping things. A hard tumor (say bone cancer/osteosarcoma) is vastly different than say leukemia. Cancers types are Carcinoma (surfaces of the body i.e. skin), Sarcoma (tumors that originate in hard or soft tissue i.e. bone cancer), Lukemia (start in the blood, no tumors), Lymphoma (Hodgkin, Non-Hodgkin), Multiple Myeloma (starts in plasma cells), Melanoma (skin cancer), Brain and spinal cords, Germ cell (starts in sperm or egg cells but can be anywhere in the body), Neuroendocrine tumors (from cells that produce hormones), Carcinoid tumors (slow growing tumors in the rectum and small intestine and spreads to the liver). Cancer definition - The bad cells can spread to other areas of the body. Benign tumors do not spread into, or invade, nearby tissues. - http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/what-is-cancer http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/what-is-cancer

reasonattlm 11y ago

Would disagree. The thing that a sizable amount of cancer research funds should focus on is preventation of telomere extension. Selectively or periodically turn off all mechanisms of telomere extension, which covers telomerase activities and ALT, the alternative lengthening of telomeres processes. All cancers abuse telomere extension in order to thrive, it is required for rapid cellular replication. Normal cells are not so much in need of it, so turn it all of for some period of time until the cancer is gone then restore telomere extension capabilities. This will work for all cancer types. Telomerase interdiction can be achieved via RNAi or similar methods, while the hurdle to blocking ALT is that it isn't well understood at this time; the targets till need to be listed and understood. It will probably be the case that targeting telomere extension interdiction to cancer cells will be superior or even necessary, but fortunately selective targeting of cancer cells is a going concern in research, with considerable progress achieved already and more in the works.