How does inflammation contribute to cancer?

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How does inflammation contribute to cancer?

In: Biology

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The cause of chronic inflammation may involve substances that promote DNA damage. Longer exposure increases the risk of mutations. There is also the fact that inflammation often promotes cell proliferation and turnover, increasing the chance of a mistake being made and a cancer cell forming. Also, a lot of mutations associated with cancer actually use chemicals released in inflammation (cytokines) to their advantage and it can help them to grow, reproduce and metastasize.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The body’s inflammation response is effectively military intervention.

In a well ordered city of cells, the inflammation response brings in an army of soldiers and tanks ready to attack anything foreign. However, the deployment causes damage to the surrounding cells. Roads are cracked, buildings are wrecked in the military rollout against possible invaders.

The city of cells has to repair itself by dividing and copying. More inflammation causes more damage which needs more repair. Continue over and over (chronic inflammation) can cause those cells to divide improperly using wornout blueprints. Too much damage can result in the city producing cancer cells that continue to divide uncontrolled.