• Loulou@lemmy.mindoki.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    Well, killing 99% of cancer cells is quite useless, the 1% left will now thrive and if they survived because they were different (and not just luckily escaping the treatment) you now have 100% of cancer cells you can’t treat anymore.

    Better case, the 1% “lucky” cancer cells just re-invade.

    • assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Best case scenario is that your immune system takes care of the final 1%. Worse case scenario is exactly as you described and you get mets that are resistant to therapy.

      • Smoogs@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        I thought the issue is your immune system wouldn’t know to take care of the final 1%. As that’s the issue with cancer: it isn’t an antigen. It is something made by the body so it’s already coated in a natural sheep’s clothing to escape being detected by the immune system. Hence why breakthroughs in marking the cells is so important so at least an outside force can treat it.