CancerCompass message board discussion started by Sleepy123 on 11/26/2007 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,18359,0.htm Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Hi,When are we ever going to find out the real truth behind Cancer? I still have a very difficult time beliving that a gene and or genes have been switch off and that is why someone is getting Cancer. Does this make any sense since we all have Cancer in out bodies that is both inactive and non-threatening. Most of us are aware that the Environment which is getting worse, stress, tocity and diet can lead to Cancer becoming active. Are these factors ruining our genes and causing cells to grow out of control or is this just a mirage that has now been painted for over 30 years, maybe 40 years? Perhaps this is about one's own biochemistry, Immune system and Liver that really are not function normally??? Until we discover the truth about Cancer we will never find a cure? There have theories by Rife and Livingston that suggest Cancer is a Virus and or a bacteria in which the Immune system cannot fight off. What we do know is that cancer cells grow out of control and become tumors which create havoc in the body. We also know that external factors such as the Environment, Diet, stress and Toxcity create conditions were Cancer can become active in the body. There are also genetic predispostions to Cancer which of course does not mean one is going to get Cancer. The body line in all likely hood; the body can get very sick, break down and therefore cause the Immune system to stop working at normal capacity hence you had the formation of Cancer. Gerson a famous Doctor  "said that before someone gets Cancer they had a Liver that was sick and not functioning properly" Finally after many billions that have been spent on Cancer we have made no progress with this dreadful disease. The Mortality rates are almost as high as they were 30 years a go. What has improved are screening/detection and Surgery/debulking. FDA also is very strict on what is allowed to be used for treating Cancer.  Tom Sleepy123 Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT The best we can figure out is that cancer is "multifactorial". Many things have to go haywire for cancer to take root and grow; and cancer is not just one disease, it is many different diseases. Some cancers have a viral basis (cervical cancer and the HPV virus), but most cancers are genetic/environmental in origin. "Genes load the gun, environment pulls the trigger". Well, sometimes. If a person inhereits a highly penetrant gene mutation from either parent, such as those associated with BRCA1 or BRCA2 cancer predisposition syndrome, that person's odds to develop breast cancer at an early age (under 50) are extremely high...and the environment will have very little to do with it. However, most cancers (about 70%) occur in people over age 50 who have no personal or family risk factors for the type of cancer they end up being diagnosed with. Those are non-hereditary cancers caused by interactions between genes and the environment and are actually pretty common as we age. There is no one answer unfortunately. The only way to prevent cancer or fix it when it occurs? Genetic engineering to correct the genetic protein that fails when specific gene mutations occur. Sounds so simple...but it is soooo complex. We are just not there yet. Targeted therapies for individual tumor personalities are a good alternative in a field called pharmacogenetics and we see that now with certain drugs such as GLEEVEC and HERCEPTIN. It's a way to kill a specific tree instead of burning down the whole forrest when treating certain cancers. Susan1 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT