Pathogenesis of Cancer: Cancer Reparative Trap

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world while the long-term prognosis is still unfavorable, despite the enormous efforts in the search for effective anti-cancer drugs. We think that the obstacle for creating of effective anti-cancer drugs could be existing idea that the basis of cancer is caused by the damage of the genetic apparatus of the cell. In this paper, we present the pathogenesis of cancer which is based on the formation of the special sustainable pathophysiological state of the organism what we call the state of “cancer reparative trap”. The essence of this pathophysiological state of the organism is in the reparative orientation of the immune system of cancer patients, when constant tissue repair is accompanied by systemic suppression of the anti-tumor immunity. Specifically, during the long-term exposure to carcinogens (exogenous and/or endogenous), the continuous tissue damage occurs which induces permanent stimulation of cell proliferation (imbalanced Th1 < Th2 lymphocytes, M1 < M2 macrophages, inflammation, angiogenesis, etc.) in order to repair the tissues damaged. At the same time, tissue repair is necessarily accompanied by the suppression of anti-tumor immunity (increase in T-regulatory cells, imbalanced Th1 < Th2 lymphocytes, M1 < M2 macrophages et al. ), which creates the necessary conditions for the survival of the malignantly transformed cells, formed by the action of carcinogens. The determining role of the imbalance in the autonomous nervous system (simpathetic/hypersympathetic dominance) in the development, maintenance and generalization of the cancer process has been shown. The explanation of a number of phenomena has been presented: the cell resistance to chemotherapy, and the phenomenon of cancer cell dormancy. The promising approaches for the cancer management in clinical practice have been proposed.