Why does cancer kill you?

Answer 1

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells. These cells were at one time normal healthy cells but have mutated to become abnormal cells. These cells undergo rapid proliferation (copying) with out the normal check points to ensure that copies are needed and made properly.

These cells continue to grow until a large mass of proliferating cells is found, this is a tumor. Tumors recruit their own blood supply and tend to take up many of they bodies nutrients making it harder for your body to have what it needs to fight it off.

Eventually the tumor can reach a size so large that it can actually crowd out your vital organs making it nearly impossible for them to continue doing their normal functions. For example. All of your internal organs are sensitive to pressure, especially your heart. If a mass of cells began to restrict the space the heart needs to function normally then the heart can no longer do it's job and the patient dies.

Often Cancer can metastasis as well. Metastasis is when cells stop being only in a clump of tumor and begin migrating through out the body and will eventually form new tumors where they end up. Metastasized tumors have a very poor prognosis due to all the locations that new tumors will form.

Answer 2

Answer

Leukemia is the cancer of white blood cells. White blood cells fight infections. If they don't function properly, your immune system does not fight infections as well.

In addition, they affect your red blood cells causing anemia, increased bleeding and increased infections.

The cancerous white blood cells can multiply and travel to other parts of the body and cause tumors in other parts of the body as well.

Answer 3

The cancer cells will stay fixed in their area in stage one. In stage two, they will start spreading, to other parts of the body. In stage three, it will spread to muscles, in which the muscle cells will start failing. Stage four is the deadliest and inescapable. In it, organs, such as hearts, livers, lungs, stomach, and kidneys will start failing, which means death for the person with cancer. Cancer is similar to how weeds gradually destroy a garden. The weeds take up space and nutrients, killing healthy plants, and there is always the possibility of it coming back.

Answer 4

The problem with cancer, is that it is an altered form of the body's own cells, which therefore may not be recognized by the immune system as harmful. They therefore can grow without limit, choking out the functional organ systems.

Answer 5

It basically destroys or greatly weakens your immune system, so all kinds of bacteria and disease get into you and can kill you.

Answer 6

Because it takes needed resources away from the body, interferes with normal bodily functions, and can spread from one organ to another in the body, disrupting their functions.

Answer 7

Pancreatic cancer is so deadly because the symptoms don't show up until late stages. By the time it is detected it is almost always too late.