Genome Instability and Mutation:
DNA mutations and other genetic changes occur during cell division. Defects in processes that control the way cells divide result in genomic instability. These unstable genes mutate and change as cancer progresses. Genetic mutations also tend to contribute to the development of cancer, including effects on cancer’s many hallmarks.
Unlocking Phenotypic Plasticity:
Cancer cells unlock phenotypic plasticity - a capability restricted in normal cells – to enable different versions of disrupted differentiation, which can, in turn, facilitate cancer initiation and progression.
Activating Invasion and Metastasis
invasion of nearby tissue and seeding at distant sites to form more cancer tumors is a central feature of cancer malignancy. A key reason cancer can be so dangerous is that it can spread from its original location and invade tissues and organs, disrupting the organ’s ability to function correctly.
Inducing Angiogenesis:
angiogenesis describes the formation of new blood and lymphatic vessels which allows tumor cells to acquire nutrients and oxygen and continue to grow. Cancer cells send signals that create new blood vessels. This allows tumors to grow larger and potentially spread through the bloodstream.
Avoiding Immune Destruction:
cancer cells adapt mechanisms to evade detection and destruction by your immune system. They become cloaked so they cannot be discovered. Normally, the body’s immune system searches for abnormal and damaged cells and destroys them before they can develop into cancers and tumors. But cancer cells often fully or partially evade the immune system. This allows the cells to continue growing unchecked, even as they cause significant harm.
Tumor Promoting Inflammation:
inflammation that occurs because tumor cells cause the destruction of healthy cells resulting proinflammatory signals. This state will continue if tumor cells continue to grow. Before cancer is discovered, chronic inflammation may increase the risk of developing cancer. For example, a chronic infection in the gut could give rise to gastric cancer.
Enabling Replicative Immortality:
Cancer cells are often capable of limitless replication. This allows them to grow faster and larger, potentially overtaking healthy cells and invading nearby tissues and organs./p>
Resisting Cell Death:
Cancer cells prevent apoptosis, or natural cell death. Cancer cells may contain mutations that prevent damage detection or signaling within the cell that tell it to die. This is the process by which typical cells of the body die. It allows new, healthy cells to replace older ones. Apoptosis, or natural cell death also prevents cells from growing out of control or harming healthy cells. Cancer cells can evade signals for programmed cell death, allowing them to live longer and potentially grow larger.
Evading Growth Suppressors:
To overcome growth inhibition from normal homeostatic signals, cancer cells lack response to external growth-inhibitory signals. Cancer cells resist apoptotic (normal cell death) control that allows tight control over cell death and proliferative cell growth. Cancer cells do not need growth signals. They continue growing, even without specific growth signals from the body.
Evading Growth Suppressors:
This hallmark is very important. Due to their excessive growth, cancer cells require high levels of energy and nutrients as cancer tumors can be poorly vascularized. Cellular metabolic pathways are altered in cancer. The Warburg effect describes the altered glycolytic metabolism in cancer cells. This has led to defining the metabolic theory of cancer. The metabolic theory is being highly regarded today as the most likely theory behind cancer growth, versus the somatic theory many cancer treatment platforms are based on today. Cancer cells metabolize energy differently, and often more effectively, than other cells. This allows them to grow faster and larger. They may also metabolize drugs differently, making them resistant to drugs designed to cause cell death.
Sustaining Proliferative Signaling:
Normal cells depend on tightly regulated cell cycle control to proliferate and maintain tissue homeostasis. This cycle is disrupted in cancer. Cancer cells release their own growth factors to stimulate their ongoing proliferation.
Evading Growth Suppressors:
Dr. Hanahan introduces the term “nonmutational epigenetic reprogramming” – an independent mechanism of genome reprogramming based on epigenetically regulated changes in gene expression. This well-established epigenetic mechanism facilitates embryonic development, tissue differentiation, and homeostasis.
Evading Growth Suppressors:
Polymorphic variability in microbiomes – collections of microorganisms residing within our bodies – can significantly influence cancer phenotypes, development, and progression. Tumors have their own microbiome just like our gastrointestinal system does. Cancer has cancer-protective and cancer-promoting microbiomes, which can modulate the incidence and pathogenesis of specific cancers.
Senescent Cells:
Cellular senescence is an irreversible mechanism of cell cycle arrest likely developed as a safeguard to maintain tissue homeostasis. This mechanism shuts down the cell division cycle. Senescence can be triggered by various external and internal stimuli, including nutrient deprivation, DNA damage, damage to organelles and cellular infrastructure, and imbalance in cellular signaling which occurs during cancer proliferation.
Resolve Occult Infections:
Infections have been shown to increase cancer’s risk of development and proliferation: Epstein-Barr virus, the hepatitis B and C viruses, human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, human papilloma viruses or HPV, and Helicobacter pylori play roles in cancer. In the G.I. tract, “bad” bacteria can outnumber the good bacteria, increasing risk for cancer development and proliferation. See the G.I. dysbiosis and malabsorption cancer root to learn more. Bacteria can be identified stool testing, “good” bacteria, otherwise known as commensal bacteria in our G.I. tract, protect us against pathogens that can cause infection and further the condition of dysbiosis. Microorganisms in the gut can also play a role in cancer acting as cancer “promoters” or “inhibitors”.
Inhibit growth signaling:
Natural compounds supported by research found in supplements and diet used in cancer specific functional oncology treatment plans modulate many molecular mechanisms and cellular phenomena in cancer. They influence apoptosis, cell cycle progression, cell proliferation, blood vessel growth, cancer cell metastasis, up‐regulation of tumor‐suppressive genes, and down‐regulation of oncogenes.
Regulate glycemic control:
Low-glycemic diets have been proven to limit tumor progression by lowering blood glucose and insulin level which at high levels are both known to be drivers of cancer growth and proliferation. Insulin levels should not be overlooked in cancer patients. Insulin can promote tumor cell proliferation, cancer cell survival, migration, and invasion leading to metastasis by signaling through the insulin receptor and insulin growth factors.
Control inflammation:
Inflammation from food has become a known route for cancer development and proliferation. Patients and caregivers need to understand the drivers of inflammation arising from our food sources. Other drivers of inflammation that must be identified include multiple toxins, and Infections caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, even foreign bodies can trigger inflammation that changes nearby cells and may lead to cancer.
Modulate hormones:
Hormones that are well-known to have an impact on cancer include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. In addition to these more common hormones, insulin, thyroid hormones, and melatonin also play a role. The hormone cortisol, which has a significant impact on cancer, is addressed under the HPA Axis Cancer Root. Many toxins also stimulate hormone disruptions and must be addressed.
Support mitochondrial function:
When our mitochondria become stressed, they then are metabolically altered and can provide support for cancer cell growth and tumor development.. Mitochondria are already susceptible to damage, which may be exacerbated by environmental exposures. With damaged and ineffective mitochondria, increased cancer mutations have been found in colorectal. Altered mitochondrial function is a hallmark of many cancers although the nature of mitochondrial dysfunction depends on the type of cancer. Dysfunctional mitochondrial signaling can bring about broad changes in gene expression that alters cell structure and function in cancer go Many of the cancer hallmarks leading to cancer development and proliferation are impacted directly by mitochondrial damage.
Optimize apoptosis, or natural cell death:
Cell death is the innate capability of cells to be removed from microenvironment, if and when they are damaged by multiple stressors. Cancer cells have the capability to avoid cell death. Natural compounds and supplements and food with anticancer activity have shown favorable safety and efficacy in impacting cancer growth and proliferation. A nutritionist is central in developing this anticancer plan for cancer patients.
Promote gene stability and repair:
We are exposed to chemical carcinogens in the environment that attack and produce a variety of DNA injuries. Each lesion favors the development of alterations in DNA and chromosomes, which favors oncogenic transformation and tumor progression. Natural compounds used in functional oncology target components of the DNA repair pathways and have been shown to promote cancer cells in specific types of cancer to be resensitized to current treatments including chemotherapy and radiation. Targeted detoxification plans should be actionable by cancer patients and are critical to prevent DNA damage.
Inhibit cancer metastasis:
Cancer metastasizes when cells from the original tumor break apart and spread to other body parts. Causes of metastasis can be linked to the immune system or conditions where cancer struggles to survive—from a lack of oxygen or essential nutrients. Standard of care treatments to inhibit meta-stasis includes radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapies, surgery and other targeted therapies. Functional oncology utilizes research-based supplements and nutrition to impact reductions in cancer cells activity directly, this can augment standard of care treatment.
Promote Natural Cell death:
Cell death is a characteristic capability of cells to be removed from the cancer microenvironment, if and when they are damaged by multiple stressors. Cell death is regulated by multiple molecular pathways that can be impacted with nutraceuticals. The strategy to treat human cancer relies on the ability of anticancer therapeutics to induce tumor-specific cell death, while leaving normal adjacent cells undamaged. Because tumor cells often develop the resistance to the drug-induced cell death, drugs and numerous compounds originated from the natural sources and biopharmaceuticals are applied today in clinics showing advantageous results.
Reduce oxidative stress:
Oxidative stress occurs in the body has an imbalance in free radical production, reactive oxygen species in the cells antioxidant defense system. This can lead to cell and tissue damage and plays a role in the development of cancer. Oxidative stress can be reduced by regular exercise, a diet high in antioxidant rich foods and phytochemicals, a targeted detoxification plan, and prescribed supplements make a big impact as well.
Inhibit angiogenesis:
Tumor angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels in and from tumors. Inhibition and blood vessel growth is made using targeted supplements and nutrition plans. Often functional oncology treatment plans augment standard of care treatment.
Enhance detoxification:
Toxins are major contributors to cancer development and proliferation. See the environmental toxin exposure cancer root to learn more. Enhancing liver detoxification using supplements, exercise, fluids, and sleep helps support the natural detoxification processes in the body.
Optimize the G.I. microbiome:
Cancer patients should have a G.I. study completed in order to treat underlying infection, reduce inflammation and optimize the immune system which is central to the fight against cancer. Differences exist in the components of the microbes contained in the gut between healthy individuals and cancer patients. See the G.I. dysbiosis and malabsorption cancer root to learn more. Decreases in beneficial bacteria and an increase in pathogenic bacteria, changes in bacterial content, and deterioration of balance are defined as “dysbiosis”. Dysbiosis affects our health negatively by preventing the regular functioning of the immune system. Dysbiosis is also connected with inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders, and development of tumors. When the “bad” bacteria outnumber the good bacteria in the G.I. microbiome, there’s an increased risk for cancer. Symptoms arise will almost from dysbiosis such as diarrhea, constipation, intolerance of foods and nutrients, malabsorption of nutrients, and excessive bloating or gas.
Reduce cortisol levels:
The main hormone impacting cancer is cortisol. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. High cortisol levels in cancer patients have been associated with a worse prognosis and faster cancer progression. Learn more under the HPA axis Cancer root.
