The Reason Why Cancer is so Hard to Beat

# The Battle for Survival

This video explains how cancer cells develop and how the immune system fights against them.

The Elimination Phase

• It all begins with a single corrupted cell that multiplies rapidly.

• Over time, mutated cells form different genetic lineages that work together and compete.

• A tiny tumor is formed which needs resources to grow. Corrupted cells unlock a new mutation that saves them: the ability to order the growth of new blood vessels.

• As the tumor continues to grow, it starts causing damage to neighboring healthy cells which attracts attention from the immune system.

The Equilibrium Phase

• Natural selection spoils your victory as your immune system accidentally selects the fittest tumor cells.

• One cell survives and decides to do it all over again but better this time.

• This tumor cell is much stronger than any of the thousands that were killed. It makes thousands of copies that mutate and form new lineages until once again a tumor has grown made up from more resilient cells.

# The Life Cycle of Cancer

This section explains the life cycle of cancer, from its initial formation to its growth and spread throughout the body.

Formation Phase

• Tumor Town is formed when a single cell mutates and begins to divide uncontrollably.

• A tumor cell changes in a way that makes it properly dangerous, becoming cancer.

Expansion Phase

• The mutated tumor cell finds a way to switch off the immune system by targeting inhibitor receptors on anti-cancer cells.

• New cancer cells become immune to the immune system, creating a new Tumor Town that is even uglier and stranger than before.

• Tumor Town erects roadblocks that keep the law from entering, making it difficult for T Cell swat teams to end this travesty.

Escape Phase

• Cancer cells actively shut down immune defenses by sending corrupt signals, creating the Cancer Microenvironment which is hard to cross.

• Strong cancer cells push your immune system back and expand further. If more mutations happen, then some of the cancer cells will begin to explore the world and expand into other tissues, building new towns.

Consequences

• Cancer takes up space and steals nutrients that your true self has no room to function anymore. If this goes on for too long, organs will shut down.

• The more successful cancer gets, the more damage it does to its world. When the body dies, the cancer dies too. It truly is a game without winners.

Fighting Cancer

• Hundreds of thousands of scientists are working on new and better ways of killing cancer, to destroy and burn down Tumor Towns for good.

• Immunotherapy has made enormous progress in recent years – it is a relatively new therapy in which your own immune cells are modified to kill cancer better than any medicine can do.

# Conclusion

This section concludes the video by thanking supporters and expressing hope for the future eradication of cancer.

• The video was made possible in part by direct viewer support and in part through a grant by Gates Ventures. Thanks a lot for their support!

• There is hope that one day, maybe in the not too distant future, we will eradicate cancer once and for all.