What is wrong with people immune system? They say 1 in 4 will get cancer in their life?

And the latest data say 1 in 4 will get cancer in their life And that number is to change to 1 in 3 will get cancer in their life.

What is wrong with people immune system? What is causing cancer?

How long before there is cancer cure and how long will it take for cancer cure? Do you think 50 years from now there will be cancer cure? How long before cancer is cure 50 years from now or like 100 years from now?

19 minutes ago, Moon99 said:

What is wrong with people immune system? They say 1 in 4 will get cancer in their life?

Why is that an issue of something being wrong with your immune system?

Nobody is immortal. Thus, we all die, and all die of…something. We don’t die from some things as young as we used to, like heart disease. Or of childhood maladies, in many parts of the world. If we don’t die of those things, we must die of something else. It’s a zero-sum game.

If you don’t die when you’re young, the chances of getting a disease of the aged goes up, simply because you’ve had the good fortune of getting old.

And when you are old, your cells have undergone more mitotic divisions, and there is a greater chance of cellular mutations with a greater number of divisions. This effect is actually heightened for persons with longer telomeres. While they may age more slowly, their cancer risk also goes up.

Cells with very long telomeres accumulate mutations and appear to promote tumors and other types of growths that would otherwise be put in check by normal telomere shortening processes. I invite you to run "cancer and long telomeres" through a search engine. Here's a bit (in fairly plain English) about a study at Johns Hopkins on the matter:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/long-telomeres-may-heighten-cancer-risks

1 hour ago, Moon99 said:

What is wrong with people immune system? They say 1 in 4 will get cancer in their life?

And the latest data say 1 in 4 will get cancer in their life And that number is to change to 1 in 3 will get cancer in their life.

What is wrong with people immune system? What is causing cancer?

How long before there is cancer cure and how long will it take for cancer cure? Do you think 50 years from now there will be cancer cure? How long before cancer is cure 50 years from now or like 100 years from now?

How is the related to poor immunological function? This occurs with everyone, there are also a tremendous amount of cancers

10 hours ago, Moon99 said:

What is wrong with people immune system? They say 1 in 4 will get cancer in their life?

And the latest data say 1 in 4 will get cancer in their life And that number is to change to 1 in 3 will get cancer in their life.

What is wrong with people immune system? What is causing cancer?

How long before there is cancer cure and how long will it take for cancer cure? Do you think 50 years from now there will be cancer cure? How long before cancer is cure 50 years from now or like 100 years from now?

As @TheVat pointed out the biggest risk factor for cancer is age. Nothing you can do about that, people get older every day.

Things are not so bad, if you would have been born 100 years ago your chances of dying at birth or before the age of five were pretty high, in some countries where modern medicine is not widely available that is still the case.

Biggest cancer killers in the US and UK are lung, CRC, breast and prostate depending on your sex.

So, do not smoke that pretty much eliminates the first.

Screening is available for colorectal cancer and starts around 50 (UK) some oncologists say this should be reduced to 40-45.

There is genetic element to this (and all degenerative disease) but you can reduce your risk by eating healthy, exercise and not drinking excessively. Obesity, smoking and alcohol three risk factors for many cancers.

Genetics is the hand you are dealt, kids die of cancer every day and smoking drinking and chronic obesity obviously not a lot to do with it.

Like other areas of medicine, research tries to keep up with the game and prognosis of many cancers has improved greatly over the last 50 years or so. It is not the so-called death sentence it was in the 1960s and 70s.

Most people get cancer after their children are old enough to take care of themselves so there is no evolutionary pressure to eliminate cancer.

On 5/31/2025 at 11:10 PM, pinball1970 said:

As @TheVat pointed out the biggest risk factor for cancer is age. Nothing you can do about that, people get older every day.

For the majority of cancers yes, some may have other factors that may exacerbate cancer at the greater rate at the time being rather than over time (aging)

On 5/31/2025 at 3:29 PM, Moon99 said:

What is wrong with people immune system? They say 1 in 4 will get cancer in their life?

If the other three don't, their immune system may be to thank.

Yes, the immune system does prevent some cancers - possibly many cancers. We can't know how many times a malignant cell has been caught and killed before it could do any harm, before one mutation is so aggressive that it overpowers our natural defenses.

The genetic factor may include a less robust immune system or poor recognition by leukocytes of invasive cells.

Also, the immune system may be weakened or blocked by various infections, injuries, drugs, aging and deteriorating organs and environmental factors. The production and proliferation of malignant cells is also influenced by the environment: exposure to radiation or chemicals in the air, water and food promote cancer. Thus, smoking is a major contributor.

There are excellent diagnostic methods and treatments. Some lifestyle changes can benefit people prone to cancer, but industrial societies cannot provide a cancer-negating environment. I very much doubt there will be a cure in the absence of radical change in how we conduct our affairs.

Edited June 2Jun 2 by Peterkin

one factor is the ageing population

https://www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2023/06/cancer-risk-by-age

1 hour ago, Peterkin said:

If the other three don't, their immune system may be to thank.

Yes, the immune system does prevent some cancers - possibly many cancers. We can't know how many times a malignant cell has been caught and killed before it could do any harm, before one mutation is so aggressive that it overpowers our natural defenses.

The genetic factor may include a less robust immune system or poor recognition by leukocytes of invasive cells.

Also, the immune system may be weakened or blocked by various infections, injuries, drugs, aging and deteriorating organs and environmental factors. The production and proliferation of malignant cells is also influenced by the environment: exposure to radiation or chemicals in the air, water and food promote cancer. Thus, smoking is a major contributor.

There are excellent diagnostic methods and treatments. Some lifestyle changes can benefit people prone to cancer, but industrial societies cannot provide a cancer-negating environment. I very much doubt there will be a cure in the absence of radical change in how we conduct our affairs.

Does it the US have way more cancer than countries like say South Korea, China or Japan?

15 hours ago, Bufofrog said:

Most people get cancer after their children are old enough to take care of themselves so there is no evolutionary pressure to eliminate cancer.

Do you think all cancers will have cure in the next 50 years from now?

9 hours ago, Moon99 said:

Does it the US have way more cancer than countries like say South Korea, China or Japan?

No, but it rates pretty high. Asians seem to have the highest rate of resistance.

highws and

10 hours ago, Moon99 said:

Do you think all cancers will have cure in the next 50 years from now?

It is of my great pleasure to say that oncology has made huge strides in treatment, different therapies, but ultimately it’d like fighting a constantly mutating/evolving enemy. We can curb it significantly yes, but it’s nearly impossible to remove altogether

19 hours ago, Peterkin said:

No, but it rates pretty high. Asians seem to have the highest rate of resistance.

highws and

So you are saying countries like South Korea, China or Japan have cancer rate on par like US or cancer is more wide spread in the US than those countries and people die of other illnesses in those countries?

It is important to note that published cancer rates are highly dependent on the monitoring systems in a given country. Typically, countries with earlier and more rigorous screening programs for cancer also have the highest cancer rates. This is not necessarily because the rate is actually higher, but because they are being detected at a higher rate. That being said, there are regional differences in the risk. One example is skin cancer which is associated with risk factors like fair skin, high solar radiation and high level of outdoor activities. These are more prevalent in some countries than others.

Likewise, diet and smoking vary between countries and are associated with certain types of cancers. These factors are not intrinsic to the immune system or are not necessarily indicative of an altered immune system as such.

The clearest interaction on the immune level are virus-associated types of cancers, where immunization against e.g. HPV has a promise to massively reduce cancer rates.

But as others have already said, the only way not to die from cancer, is to die from something else.

17 hours ago, Moon99 said:

So you are saying countries like South Korea, China or Japan have cancer rate on par like US or cancer is more wide spread in the US than those countries and people die of other illnesses in those countries?

No I'm saying that, statistically, cancer is less prevalent in Asian countries than western ones, Hispanic Americans have a lower incidence of cancer and Asian Americans Have lower incidence of some cancers than paler skinned Americans, while African Americans have a generally higher incidence and native Americans, a significantly higher incidence. The differences may be due to genetics, home environment, early childhood health care, diet, life style, working conditions or a combination of factors. In North America, the genetic component is difficult to assess, because the population is racially mixed.

What is wrong with people immune system?

The immune system is good enough to allow the spread of DNA to the next generation i.e. having children.

Modern people live a lot longer than your ancient predecessors. In the past, people did not live at all to the age at which people live now, and serious DNA damage begins in them leading to the formation of cancer cells.

Cancer is a modern disease. Damage can be caused by pollution of air, water, and consequently food, can be the result of an unhealthy lifestyle (carcinogenic foods and drugs), exposure to carcinogenic substances during life (firefighter, coal miner, steel worker, welder, oilman, construction worker, etc.).

The incidence of cancer increases with age, i.e. a person has passed on his DNA to his offspring and has not participated in the process of natural selection. The median age of a cancer diagnosis is 67 years. Early unhealthy life, with cigarettes and drugs, in unhealthy environment, could damage DNA already. Diagnosis can come decades later.

Drive behind being multicellular breaks down as your cells' DNA and mDNA diverges.

Some of the DNA code is necessarily problematic, but all cells have a copy. Would either have to artificially regulate everything or eliminate as cancerous cells appear.

Edited June 5Jun 5 by Endy0816

Looking at this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cancer_rate

Why is India so low. The US is 367.0 well India is 98.5.

What are they eating that is so different that the cancer rate is so low in India? I thought India did not have best food diet in the world?

44 minutes ago, Moon99 said:

Looking at this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cancer_rate

Why is India so low. The US is 367.0 well India is 98.5.

What are they eating that is so different that the cancer rate is so low in India? I thought India did not have best food diet in the world?

They will eat less meat more veg because of religious requirements and less processed foods because of availability and costs. More traditional preparations of food rather than fast food.

Alcohol and cigarettes probably less too? I am not saying Indians do not smoke and drink, I am saying culture wise this will be not like the West.

Just my thoughts.

2 hours ago, Moon99 said:

Looking at this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cancer_rate

Why is India so low. The US is 367.0 well India is 98.5.

What are they eating that is so different that the cancer rate is so low in India? I thought India did not have best food diet in the world?

As mentioned before, one big issue is detection rates- I am not familiar with the Indian health system, but I wouldn't be surprised if screening is less prevalent especially in underresourced areas. A recent study also mentioned that rates are increasing, in part due to demographic changes, but they also mentioned improvement in screening programs.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10231735/

If you eat carcinogenic foods, and at the same time antioxidants, you will still be better off than if you ate only carcinogenic foods.... ;)

How does the cancer vs. wealth situation in the usa compare?

It seems to me that the richer you are (in millions), the less you will go to some pseudo-restaurants (fast-food) and the more often you will go to gourmet restaurants and thus the food will be of better quality.

In this case, we must have good statistics, because the absolute numbers will be wrong..

Edited June 15Jun 15 by Sensei

2 hours ago, Moon99 said:

Looking at this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cancer_rate

Why is India so low. The US is 367.0 well India is 98.5.

What are they eating that is so different that the cancer rate is so low in India? I thought India did not have best food diet in the world?

They may die younger, of other things. Have you checked that possibility?

1 hour ago, exchemist said:

They may die younger, of other things. Have you checked that possibility?

I may be wrong, but I think the data was age-adjusted. But the life expectancy gap is significant and one would need to look a a bit a demographics to see the impact.

9 hours ago, Moon99 said:

Looking at this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cancer_rate

Why is India so low. The US is 367.0 well India is 98.5.

What are they eating that is so different that the cancer rate is so low in India? I thought India did not have best food diet in the world?

What makes you think that the many regional cuisines of India are unhealthy?

I ask, since my own diet is heavily weighted towards a mish-mash of Eastern Mediterranean and Indian recipes. Do you recommend I switch to Big Macs and Pizza Express?

11 hours ago, Moon99 said:

Looking at this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cancer_rate

Why is India so low. The US is 367.0 well India is 98.5.

What are they eating that is so different that the cancer rate is so low in India? I thought India did not have best food diet in the world?

Some Indian foods are very healthy, though I HOPE FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART THAT YOU KNOW THAT THE STREET FOOD VIDEOS ARE NOT ACTUALLY WHAT WE EAT

1 hour ago, sethoflagos said:

What makes you think that the many regional cuisines of India are unhealthy?

I ask, since my own diet is heavily weighted towards a mish-mash of Eastern Mediterranean and Indian recipes. Do you recommend I switch to Big Macs and Pizza Express?

I come enough from both worlds so I can comment on this, some Indian foods are extremely fatty, likewise with Western cuisine. Diabetes rates of both nations are generally “high moderate” - to high within the majority population. It’s important to recognize though that not all Indian foods are unhealthy when in fact the majority are health, like what you stated, and that not all western food is unhealthy