Will long-term untreated inflammation lead to tumors? What is the relationship between inflammation and tumors? One article explains it clearly

Many of you may have heard that if inflammation is not treated, it will turn into cancer over time, such as cervicitis turning into cervical cancer. Is this true? Let's discuss it together.

1. The medical origins of inflammation

As early as the 1880s, German pathologists observed the presence of some white blood cells in tumor tissues, and thus proposed for the first time that there might be some connection between inflammation and cancer. Subsequently, with the continuous development of life sciences, various research reports pointed out that chronic inflammation can cause cancer and promote the development of cancer. However, its related mechanism has not been strongly proven for a long time.

Until recent years, in the process of a large number of epidemiological, genomic and molecular biological studies, the decisive role of inflammation in the occurrence and development of tumors has been clearly confirmed. There needs to be some bridge between inflammation and the occurrence and development of tumors. Cytokines and transcription factors in the tumor microenvironment control the activity center of the tumor signal transduction pathway to promote tumor growth and development as a target, and play an important role in both inflammation and tumor growth and development.

2. Inflammation promotes cancer

Inflammation can promote the occurrence and development of cancer under most conditions and reduce the therapeutic effect of tumors.

The mechanism by which chronic inflammation promotes the occurrence and development of cancer can be divided into many types according to different causes, mechanisms, consequences and intensity of action. Chronic inflammation caused by persistent infection with pathogenic microorganisms promotes the occurrence of cancer; most cancers are caused by mutations in somatic cells and changes in environmental factors, and most environmental factors and risk factors that cause tumors are closely related to the occurrence of chronic inflammation; and some chronic inflammation is caused by immune degeneration and autoimmunity.

Tumors are called unhealable wounds. This is mainly because in the case of tumor formation, the accumulation of a large amount of DNA damage and cell senescence in the tumor environment makes the dynamic balance between pro-cancer inflammation and anti-cancer immunity more inclined to pro-cancer effects, inducing tumor-related inflammation. Tumor-related inflammation, in turn, can promote the continuous renewal and proliferation of tumor cells.

Tumor induction is the process by which a single tumor cell grows into a fully developed primary tumor. The growth of initial cells depends on promoting cell proliferation and reducing cell death, both of which can be stimulated by inflammation. Inflammatory responses can produce some targeted chemical factors and cytokines that promote tumor development. They can act in paracrine and autocrine ways to ensure that a steady stream of inflammatory cells can be recruited in the tumor microenvironment.

In addition, the cancer treatment process may also induce tumor-related inflammation, promote the occurrence and development of tumors, and have the opposite effect of tumor treatment.

Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are the three main methods of cancer treatment today, but they can all induce local or systemic inflammation. In cancer treatment, it is worth noting whether the inflammation caused by treatment can stimulate the regrowth of residual tumor cells and have a negative impact on the efficacy. Inhibiting the inflammation caused by treatment can improve the treatment effect of cancer and increase the survival rate of patients.

3. The significance of inflammation research to cancer

Of course, not all inflammation promotes cancer.

Scientists have used some microbial preparations to induce acute inflammation in the human body and applied them to the treatment of tumors with success. Currently, such a microbial preparation is used in the treatment of bladder cancer. In other words, bladder cancer is sensitive to acute inflammation and can be inhibited by it. However, some studies have shown that chronic inflammation can promote the occurrence of bladder cancer. The reason for this contradictory situation is still unclear. This is also a key issue in whether inflammation can be used in cancer treatment. Not only that, some chronic inflammation cannot significantly promote the occurrence of cancer.

Inflammation can affect all aspects of tumor occurrence and development as well as all stages of tumor treatment. Today's treatments mainly promote tumor inflammation and the inflammatory microenvironment as a target for treatment and selective anti-tumor therapy, focusing on new treatment methods to reduce tumor risk. In the exploration of the relationship between tumor occurrence and tumor-promoting inflammation, studies have found that preventing tumor occurrence and development is a promising, economical and practical method.

I hope that all my friends can pay attention to their physical health. When inflammation occurs in certain parts of the body, you must go to the hospital for treatment in time and do not delay, so as to avoid further development of the disease.