How does cancer spread through the body? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun

Kako se rak širi kroz tijelo?- Ivan Seah Yu Jun

Prevoditelj: Ivan Stamenković Recezent: Senzos Osijek

The onset of cancer usually begins as a solitary tumor

Rani stadiji raka obično započinju jednim tumorom

in a specific area of the body.

u određenom dijelu tjela.

If the tumor is not removed,

Ako tumor ne uklonimo,

cancer has the ability to spread to nearby organs,

rak ima sposobnost širiti se na obližnje organe,

as well as places far away from the origin, such as the brain.

kao i na mjesta udaljena od izvora, kao što je mozak.

So how does cancer move to new areas,

Pa kako se rak kreće u nova područja,

and why are some organs more likely to get infected than others?

i zašto su neki organi izgledniji za infekciju od drugih?

The process of cancer spreading across the body is known as metastasis.

Proces širenja raka tijelom zove se metastaza.

It begins when cancer cells from an initial tumor invade nearby normal tissue.

Započinje kada stanice raka iz početnog tumora napadnu obližnje normalno tkivo.

As the cells proliferate,

Kako se stanice raka razmnožavaju,

they spread via one of the three common routes of metastasis:

šire se jednim od ova tri pravila metastaze:

transcoelomic, lymphatic, or hematogenous spread.

trasnkoelomično, limfatično ili hematogeno širenje.

In transcoelomic spread, malignant cells penetrate the covering surfaces

Kod transkoelomičnog širenja, maligne stanice probiju pokrovne površine

of cavities in our body.

šupljina u našem tijelu.

These surfaces are known as peritoneum

Ove površine poznate su kao peritonej

and serve as walls to segment the body cavity.

i služe kao zidovi za odvajanje tjelesnih šupljina.

Malignant cells in ovarian cancer, for example,

Maligne stanice kod raka jajnika. na primjer,

spread through peritoneum, which connects the ovary to the liver,

šire se kroz peritonej, koji veže jajnike i jetru,

resulting in metastasis on the liver surface.

rezultirajući u metastazi na površini jetre.

Next, cancerous cells invade blood vessels when they undergo hematogenous spread.

Zatim, stanice raka napadaju krvne žile kada se šire hematogeno.

As there are blood vessels almost everywhere in the body,

Kako krvnih žila ima gotovo svugdje u tijelu,

malignant cells utilize this to reach more distant parts of the body.

maligne stanice koriste to da bi došle u udaljene dijelove tijela,

Finally, lymphatic spread occurs when the cancer invades the lymph nodes,

I na kraju, limfatičko širenje događa se kada rak napada limfne čvorove,

and travels to other parts of the body via the lymphatic system.

i putuje u druge dijelove tijela putem limfatičkog sustava.

As this system drains many parts of the body,

Kako sustav crpi mnoge dijelove tijela,

it also provides a large network for the cancer.

tako daje i veliku mrežu za rak.

In addition, the lymphatic vessels empty into the blood circulation,

Kao dodatak, limfatičke žile prazne se u krvnu cirkulaciju

allowing the malignant cells to undergo hematogenous spread.

dozvoljavajući malignim stanicama da se šire hematogeno.

Once at a new site, the cells once again undergo proliferation,

Kada su na novom mjestu, stanice se ponovno razmnožavaju

and form small tumors known as micrometastases.

i stvaraju male tumore znane kao mikrometastaze.

These small tumors then grow into full-fledged tumors,

Ovi mali tumori tada narastu u prave tumore,

and complete the metastatic process.

i dovrše proces metastaze.

Different cancers have been known to have specific sites of metastasis.

Različiti rak ima određena mjesta metastaze.

For example, prostate cancer commonly metastasizes to the bone,

Na primjer, rak prostate metastazira na kostima,

while colon cancer metastasizes to the liver.

dok rak debelog crijeva metastazira na jetri.

Various theories have been proposed to explain the migration pattern

Različite teorije predložene su kako bi se objasnio uzorak migracije

of malignant cells.

malignih stanica.

Of particular interest are two conflicting theories.

Od posebnog značaja su dvije suprotstavljene teorije.

Stephen Paget, an English surgeon,

Stephen Paget, engleski kirurg,

came up with the seed and soil theory of metastasis.

osmislio je teoriju sjemena i tla za metastazu.

The seed and soil theory stated that cancer cells die easily

Teorija sjemena i tla tvrdi da stanice raka lako odumiru

in the wrong microenvironment,

ako se nalaze u krivom mikrookruženju,

hence they only metastasize to a location with similar characteristics.

tako da metastaziraju samo na lokaciji sa sličnim karakteristikama.

However, James Ewing, the first professor of pathology at Cornell University,

Ipak, James Ewing, prvi profesor patologije na sveučilištu Cornell,

challenged the seed and soil theory,

osporio je teoriju sjemena i tla,

and proposed that the site of metastasis was determined by the location

i predložio da je mjesto metastaze određeno lokacijom

of the vascular and lymphatic channels which drain the primary tumor.

vaskularnih i limfatičkih kanala koji crpe primarni tumor.

Patients with primary tumors that were drained by vessels leading to the lung

Pacijenti sa primarnim tumorima koje su crpile žile koje vode do pluća

would eventually develop lung metastases.

bi razvili metastaze na plućima.

Today, we know that both theories contain valuable truths.

Danas, znamo da obje teorije sadrže vrijedne istine.

Yet the full stories of metastasis is much more complicated

Ali cijela priča o metastazi je puno složenija

than either of the two proposed theories.

od obje predložene teorije.

Factors like the cancer cell's properties,

Čmbenici kao svojstva stanica raka,

and the effectiveness of the immune system in eliminating the cancer cells,

i učinkovitost imunosnog sustava u uklanjanju stanica raka,

also play a role in determining the success of metastasis.

također igraju ulogu u određivanju uspjeha metastaze.

Unfortunately, many questions about metastasis remain unanswered until today.

Na nesreću, mnoga pitanja o metastazi nisu odgovorena do danas.

Understanding the exact mechanism holds an important key

Razumijevanje točnih mehanizama je važan ključ

to finding a cure for advanced stage cancers.

pronalasku lijeka za napredne stadije raka.

By studying both the genetic and environmental factors,

Proučavajući genetske i okolišne faktore,

which contribute to successful metastasis,

koji doprinose uspješnoj metastazi,

we can pinpoint ways to shut down the process.

možemo pronaći načine da zaustavimo proces.

The war against cancer is a constant struggle,

Rat protiv raka je stalna borba,

and scientists are hard at work developing new methods against metastasis.

i znanstvenici naporno rade kako bi razvili nove metode protiv metastaza.

Of recent interest is immunotherapy,

Odnedavno zanimljiva je imunoterapija,

a modality which involves harnessing the power of the immune system

modalitet koju uključuje aktivaciju snage imunosnog sustava

to destroy the migrating cells.

da bi uništio migrirajuće stanice.

This can be done in different ways,

Ovo se može učiniti na razne načine,

such as training immune cells to recognize cancerous cells via vaccines.

kao trenirati imunosne stanice da prepoznaju stanice raka kroz cjepiva.

The growth and activity of the immune cells

Rast i aktvnost imunosnih stanica

can also be stimulated by injecting man-made interleukins,

može se stimulirati ubrizgavanjem umjetnih interleukina,

chemicals which are usually secreted by the immune cells of the body.

kemikalija koje izlučuju imunosne stanice tijela.

These two treatments are only the tip of the iceberg.

Ova dva tretmana samo su vrh ledene sante.

With the collaborated research efforts of governments, companies and scientists,

Sa zajedničkim istraživačkim naporima vlada, tvrtki i znanstvenika,

perhaps the process of metastasis will be stopped for good.

možda ćemo proces metastaze zaustaviti zauvijek.