Final answer:
Cancer cells can rapidly disable TSGs leading to uncontrolled growth. Newer treatments, like telomerase inhibition and CAR T-cell therapy, specifically target cancer cells, potentially reducing side effects. Understanding immune evasion by cancer cells is also crucial in treatment development.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question addresses the speed at which cancer cells can disable healthy tumor suppressor genes (TSGs), which are crucial in regulating cell division and preventing cancer. Cancer cells often acquire mutations that allow them to circumvent these regulatory mechanisms faster than normal cells leading to uncontrolled growth. Traditional treatments like radiation and chemotherapy damage both cancerous and healthy cells, but newer therapies aim to specifically target cancer cells, sparing healthy cells and avoiding side effects.
One promising approach involves inhibiting the enzyme telomerase, which becomes active only after cancer cells have significantly shortened telomeres. By targeting telomerase, we may be able to stop the division of cancer cells. Another innovative therapy is genetically engineering T-lymphocytes to express special receptors that recognize and attack cancer cells—this is known as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Furthermore, studies have shown that certain animals, like elephants, are less susceptible to cancer because they have multiple copies of their p53 genes, which helps in DNA repair and controlling the cell cycle.
Understanding the mechanisms of cancer cells' evasion of immune responses, such as the ability to mutate and no longer express recognizable antigens, is also critical in the development of new cancer treatments. Innovative strategies are being explored to utilize the body's own immune system to maintain an equilibrium state or to eliminate cancer cells before they have the chance to escape the immune response entirely.