Friday, February 20, 2015 - 12:02
Tumors are not just solid masses of cancer cells. As those cancer cells grow and divide, they hijack all the normal cells around them for their own purposes. They coerce blood vessels to grow along with them, ensuring a continued supply of oxygen and nutrients from the blood stream as the tumor gets bigger. They stimulate the immune cells that are active in wound healing, mimicking a damaged tissue that needs growth stimulation. They also avoid and suppress the immune cells that would normally recognize and kill them.
