Are Stem Cells the Cause of Cancer?

Stem cells could be responsible for at least one type of cancer. Leukemia is one type of cancer that scientists believe that stem cells may be responsible for. Leukemia is a cancer that is caused by the fusion of two genes in the white blood cells. Stem cells can mainly be found inside some of the areas in the body where many cancers are formed. Some of the things that the stem cells are exposed to such as radiation are what scientists believe may be the cause of the stem cells being the culprit of some cancers. Stem cells have a long life span and any damage that may be caused to them is also what may cause them to become cancer.

They can survive longer than the normal cells that can be found in the human body. Even though has been medicine developed to cure cancer patients there also been evidence that the patients aren't really cured. The actual way to cure the patients is to destroy all the cells that have the ability to renew themselves and are damaged, Once the cells are removed from the body then the patient should be cured. The fact that stem cells can recreate themselves is their most defining quality. Which in turn also exempts them for all the rules. Similar cellular discoveries have been found in the brain, prostate large and small intestines, breast and skin.

Experimental evidence showed that the failures to regulate stem cells is how many cancers are started. Having stem cells in places such as the gut and skin is an inefficient place for replacing any old or damaged cells. The mutations begin when a cell has been directly insulted with things such as radiation or chemicals. In a model of stem cell mutations one of the model loss its control of its self-renewal and it produces a group of predisposed cells. The second model that was created the final steps two cancers only happen if the cell had progenitors to cause the cell to lose its self-renewal, which will cause the cell to be reactivated.