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The problem with cancer is that, much like with the HIV virus, the immune system is fooled into thinking the cancerous cells are part of the human body. From w
by jhuckestein 14y ago
The problem with cancer is that, much like with the HIV virus, the immune system is fooled into thinking the cancerous cells are part of the human body.
From what I hear researchers are optimistic that any such disease can soon (i.e. within the next 20 years) be cured by injecting blood-cell sized nanobots that can reliably target the foreign cells or viruses in your body and kill them (and, unlike chemotherapy, don't destroy the good parts, too). I think the chronic disease is just a crutch that'll soon be obsolete.
- jamesjporter 14y agoCancerous cells are part of your body — they've just mutated such that they don't respond to signals that tell them to die or slow their rate of replication. The reason your immune system doesn't recognize them is because they are literally part of you. This is why specifically targeted cancer cures are so hard: there's almost nothing that distinguishes cancer cells from normal cells.