Cancer 101: How it hacks our cells' self-destruct programming

In 10 seconds? Cancer has a diabolical trick: it can disable the self-destruct button in our cells that would block its formation. In today’s Cancer 101 digest, we break down the importance of protective self-destruct measures in healthy cells and how they are undermined by cancerous cells.

Self-destruct?? We want to live… No need to panic! Let me explain: to keep the trillions of cells in our body working harmoniously, our DNA needs to run a tight ship. Multiple fail-safes are burned into our genetic code to ensure each cell is of premium quality. Although mesmerizing, Mother Nature is also unsparing. If a cell deviates from its predetermined path, it runs into a kind of firewall: it will self-destruct and be devoured by other cells in your body. This is apoptosis, which I mentioned last week.