The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (22 page)

Chapter 5
defines common dog cancer phrases and words, so remember to refer back to it, if you need help.

Another set of genes controls cell death, or apoptosis. These genes activate when growth is complete; for example, when your puppy has reached full size, or when the cut is fully healed. If the growth genes are like the gas pedal, the apoptosis genes are like the brake pedal. They can stop the cell from multiplying and they can shut down the cell’s life processes so that it dies a natural death (apoptosis is discussed in more detail in the next chapter).

In the case of cancer, trouble starts when one or more errors, or mutations, occur in the genes. This could happen for many reasons, some of which we’ll discuss in the next chapters. According to researchers, genetic mutations happen all the time – as many as 10,000 times every day, in the typical mammal. In the vast majority of cells, the genes can withstand the mutations. Often they can repair the damage. If they can’t repair it, the apoptosis genes can force the cell to commit suicide.

When the cell is damaged enough (or often enough), the genes that control cell growth and cell apoptosis can also become damaged. Then, apoptosis might not happen, leaving the mutated cell alive in the body. This lowering of apoptosis is considered one of the hallmarks of cancer cells.

This stage of cancer development is called
Cancer Initiation
: cancer has not yet begun, but there is at least one cell whose growth genes are becoming deranged, setting the stage for future growth at will. In this cell (or in these cells, if more than one cell is affected), the gas pedal is jammed to the floor and the brake pedal is broken.

“Shadow was one of the true loves of my life. When he was diagnosed, and we then fought the cancer that had attacked him, we came to know that winning the ultimate fight was not as important as the days we shared. Living in the moment really came into its own. While I would always choose to still have Shadow with me in physical form, he opened doors and brought realizations to my life that would not have happened without his illness. I know for certain that it was his path and ours together, to learn. When he friend, Keymos was diagnosed only a year after losing Shadow, at first I couldn’t believe that we had another diagnosis. But, we were already armed. Keymos was already on a wonderful diet, and he began Apocaps immediately. Thought he is older at 13 than Shadow was at only 9 years, Keymos is fit and sturdy. But without the lessons learned from Shadow, we may not have had the tools in place to help Keymos be this well. There is no evidence of cancer in him anymore, and he revels in every day, teaching the younger dogs what he knows.”
-

- Susan Harper, High Wycombe,

Once a single cell or cluster of cells has become cancerous, it starts broadcasting biochemical signals to alert the immune system that something is wrong. In response, the immune system deploys specialized cancer-killing cells. If they are successful (and sometimes they aren’t), those cells destroy the cancer cell and the body eliminates it naturally.

Sometimes the immune system cannot detect or destroy the cancerous cell because it has been compromised. This can happen for many reasons, some of which we’ll talk about in this and the next few chapters. If the immune system fails to kill the cancerous cell, it will continue to live.

If conditions in the body favor cancer growth – for example, if inflammation is present, or if sugar is readily available – the cancerous cell becomes stronger. If the cancerous cell or cells evade destruction, they move to a new stage called
Cancer Promotion
. The single or few pre-cancerous cells have now become full-blown cancer cells, ready to “promote” themselves by changing the body’s environment to suit their own needs.

Cancer cells change the body in several ways. They can recruit local blood vessels to steal nutrition from normal neighbors, which is called angiogenesis. These new blood vessels can also be used to launch new cancer cells into the circulation so they can metastasize in distant locations.

The cancer cells also make special enzymes, which they use to tunnel between neighboring normal cells, so they can make room for their own growth.

Cancer cells also shift the body’s metabolism. Normal body cells use oxygen to extract energy from sugars in a process called oxidation; cancer cells use very little oxygen. Instead, they break down sugars using a completely different method, glycolysis, followed by a secretion of acid. This is called the Warburg effect, and, like reduced apoptosis, it is another hallmark of cancer cells. The secreted acid lowers the pH of the surrounding tissues, which creates a lot of inflammation, further favoring cancer’s growth.

Cancer cells also send themselves chemical signals that stimulate their own growth and even recruit other types of body cells to do the same. Once the cell starts dividing and replicating itself, it has reached the next stage,
Cancer Progression
. Now the growth genes are working overtime: tumors, large lumps of millions of cancer cells, form and spread.

Assuming that everything goes smoothly during replication, new cancer cells are clones of the first. Each carries the same genetic blueprint as the mother cell, including the switched off apoptosis genes. This means that tumor cells tend to multiply exponentially.

Cancer cells are often genetically unstable and may continue to change over time, possibly even becoming stronger and more resistant to treatments.

This very broad overview of an incredibly complex process gives you an idea of how cancer is believed to start on the cellular level, and explains why some Full Spectrum treatments target cancer cells there.

Now let’s take a look at cancer development from a completely different angle.

We typically find tumors once they measure about one centimeter in diameter. This may not seem large, until you realize that a tumor this size contains 10
⁹
, or
one billion
, cancer cells.

The theory of genetic mutation assumes that a cell’s natural state is rest: the cell does not want to grow and is content to stay the same size, doing what it does naturally according to its genetic instructions.