Systemic Thinking About Cancer

Dr. David Agus discusses thinking systemically about cancer and other things

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Education

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[timmy69690]

I clicked because of the chick

[khanacademyfan]

I really like these duo videos

[1yawn2many]

why aren't links to the cited studies provided?

[GustavusOtakus]

That was absolutely awesome. Makes me want to practice science and write a book about it.

[MonkiePilot]

HAHA ! SAL was wrong about something! Even I knew it was a Chick! That makes me feel a little better about myself.

[tweezinhard]

Just watched this video about cancer and wondered if others watching had heard about Burzynski and antineoplastons.

[coburleson]

@coburleson or a deficeincy in a environmental, nutritional, or protein factor as in the case of tumor suppressors.

[coburleson]

@coburleson My contention is that mutations that result in pathogenesis may result in a form of accelerated pathogenesis if the location of the mutation in the patients genome is in a region that is under the control of an abundant environmental, nutritional, or protein factor.

[coburleson]

@coburleson If mutations occurred in a part of the genome that does not effect the cell in any way.....the cell could still be considered a healthy cell....if the mutations occurred in a part of the genome critical to the lifecycle of the cell we will see pathogenesis....

[coburleson]

@hungrygit All I know is that a cell is cancerous or it is not. To what degree the mutations are affecting the patient is going to depend on where in the genome the mutations occurred. If the mutations occurred in a part of the genome that is under the control of a promotor or enhancer region that is under the control of a particular environmental, nutritional, or protein stimuli, then it would be practical to investigate these areas. Ultimately the answer is in the genome of each patient.

[hungrygit]

@coburleson Nah, I won't! Jumped the gun a little here and went with the basic 'causes cancer' definition. Fail. However, from what he's saying, his approach to preventing cancer would be to prevent cancerous cells (already mutated / damaged) from becoming active. He believes controlling the environment of the cells is the key to this. If he's right, this kind of research could at least slow down cancer whilst it is treated.

[hungrygit]

@coburleson You and the video creator are clearly talking about different approaches to preventing cancer. You talk about preventing cells from becoming 'potentially' cancerous in the first place, he talks about preventing 'potentially' cancerous cells from becoming actively cancerous. I quote potentially because, until this video, I thought a cell was either cancerous or it wasn't. I didn't know it could be dormant until the right conditions in the body occur. Both angles merit discovery.