Immune System and Cancer

[james.g.barnes@ATT.NET]

[If this is a double post, please forgive. . . .my ISP 

seems to have a problem posting to RadSafe from time to 

time.)



===================

Folks,

 

It seems to me that the whole basis of cancer is that it 

is an uncontrolled growth of cells.  Thus, almost by 

definition, the immune system cannot control the spread 

of the tumor cells -- that's why it's cancer.

 

Cancer, however, is a multistaged disease.  Cells go 

through several stages of "preparatory transformations" 

before becoming cancerous, assuming they ever do.  My 

understanding is that in these stages, many of these 

cells are identifiable by the immune system, and that the 

immune system is involved in the control of these 

permutated cells.  Thus, if the immune system is 

stimulated, it can be made more effective in terminating 

or otherwise thwarting these modified cells lines before 

they become cancerous.

 

I have done a fair amount of reading in this area (I am 

not a professional researcher), and it appears to me that 

the immune stimulation effect is supportable (I am 

particularly intrigued by a study on murine AIDS and by 

the work in Japan using radiation to stimulate the 

immune system).  Most of the literature suggests a direct 

effect upon the cells, but (in vivo; at relatively high 

dose rates, but moderate doses), I think there is strong 

evidence supporting a neurological stimulation effect, 

with resulting cytokinetic activity that amplifies these 

direct effects.

 

This can cut both ways; one can get a radioprotective 

effect from such cytokinetic activity, but could also 

trigger a sickness behavior due to a disruption in normal 

cytokine levels.

 

 

Jim Barnes, CHP

james.g.barnes@att.net

 

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