How metastases arise, Part 3b-2 - How cells normally migrate
30 January 2024
I have written an essay describing the process through which cells normally migrate in the human body, click here.
This is not only important in understanding how our body normally works but also in understanding cancer because the malignant process “hijacks” these mechanisms to produce metastases, the major cause of cancer deaths.
The overriding, nonscience details from this essay are:
Details matter. It is important to understand how things work in depth to successfully intervene and halt the disease process.
Human biology has many means of achieving a similar end. For example, migration occurs randomly, by dispersion (cells getting close to each other automatically separate), by the “hitchhiking” of cells alongside other cells and via chemotaxis (cells moving along a gradient of increasing or decreasing concentration of a particular substance.
Cell behavior is often determined by their environment. Epithelial cells; i.e. cells that line the lung, gastrointestinal tract, breast and prostate, typically do not migrate. However, they may change to mesenchymal cells, which do migrate, based on signals in their environment. This is similar to our personal experiences, in which our behavior may change based on whether we are alone, in a family setting, at work or in a crowd.
The complete essay is here.
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