How do cancer cells behave differently from healthy ones? - George Zaidan

癌細胞的行為和健康細胞有什麼不同呢？ - 喬治．世丹

Translator: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Hao-Wei Chang 審譯者: Jephian Lin

We all start life as one single cell.

我們的生命都是從單細胞開始。

Then that cell divides and we are two cells,

然後，我們的細胞分裂成兩個細胞

then four,

接著是四個，

then eight.

再來是八個。

Cells form tissues,

細胞構成組織，

tissues form organs,

組織構成器官

organs form us.

器官組成我們（個體）。

These cell divisions, by which we go from a single cell

細胞分裂，讓我們從單一細胞

to 100 trillion cells,

變成一百兆個細胞，

are called growth.

這就是生長。

And growth seems like a simple thing

生長這件事看似簡單，

because when we think of it,

因為當我們想到它時，

we typically think of someone getting taller

我們通常想到一個人長高

or, later in life, wider,

或中年發福，

but to cells, growth isn't simple.

但對細胞而言，生長並非如此單純。

Cell division is an intricate chemical dance

細胞分裂是一場 複雜而精密的化學之舞

that's part individual, part community-driven.

一部份在細胞本身，另一部份則受所處群落影響。

And in a neighborhood of 100 trillion cells,

而在這個由一百兆細胞組成的社群中，

some times things go wrong.

難免有出錯的時候。

Maybe an individual cell's set of instructions, or DNA,

可能是細胞內的指令或 DNA

gets a typo,

出了錯誤，

what we call a mutation.

這就是我們所謂的突變。

Most of the time, the cell senses mistakes

通常細胞能偵測錯誤

and shuts itself down,

並自我了斷，

or the system detects a troublemaker

或由系統偵測到麻煩製造者

and eliminates it.

並消除它。

But, enough mutations can bypass the fail-safes,

但如果有足夠的突變就通過這些保護機制，

driving the cell to divide recklessly.

就會造成細胞毫無節制的分裂。

That one rogue cell becomes two,

一個細胞瘋狂的分裂成兩個、

then four,

四個、

then eight.

八個。

At every stage, the incorrect instructions

在每一個階段，錯誤的訊息

are passed along to the cells' offspring.

都被傳遞給子細胞。

Weeks, months, or years

經年累月下來

after that one rogue cell transformed,

在一個惡意的細胞轉型後，

you might see your doctor about a lump in your breast.

妳可能就會因為乳房的硬塊去看醫生。

Difficulty going to the bathroom could reveal

如廁困難可能表示

a problem in your intestine,

你的腸道、

prostate,

or bladder.

前列腺、

或是膀胱出了問題。

Or, a routine blood test might count too many white cells

也可能在例行性的驗血中 發現白血球數過高

or elevated liver enzymes.

或肝臟酵素升高。

Your doctor delivers the bad news:

你的醫師就會告訴你這個壞消息：

it's cancer.

你得了癌症。

From here your strategy will depend

你所使用的療程會依據

on where the cancer is and

病灶和

how far it's progressed.

惡化程度而有所不同。

If the tumor is slow-growing and in one place,

若腫瘤成長速度慢且集中於一處，

surgery might be all you need, if anything.

必要時用手術切除即可。

If the tumor is fast-growing or invading nearby tissue,

若腫瘤成長速度快且入侵到鄰近組織，

your doctor might recommend radiation

你的醫生可能會建議使用放射線治療

or surgery followed by radiation.

或在手術後再以放射線治療。

If the cancer has spread,

如果癌細胞已經擴散，

or if it's inherently everywhere like a leukemia,

或像是血癌一般存在身體各處，

your doctor will most likely recommend chemotherapy

你的醫生最可能推薦化學療法

or a combination of radiation and chemo.

或將放射線療法和化療結合使用。

Radiation and most forms of chemo work

放射線和大部份化療的作用機制

by physically shredding the cells' DNA

是以物理性方法破壞細胞的 DNA

or disrupting the copying machinery.

或干擾細胞複製機制。

But neither radiation nor chemotherapeutic drugs target only cancer cells.

但不論放射線治療和化學療法皆 都無法只針對癌細胞。

Radiation hits whatever you point it at,

放射線攻擊任何被照射的地方，

and your blood stream carries chemo-therapeutics

而血液將化療藥物運送到

all over your body.

身體各處。

So, what happens when different cells get hit?

那這對各種細胞又會有什麼影響呢？

Let's look at a healthy liver cell,

讓我們看看健康的肝細胞、

a healthy hair cell,

健康的毛髮細胞、

and a cancerous cell.

和癌細胞吧！

The healthy liver cell divides only when it is stressed;

健康的肝細胞僅在受到壓力時分裂；

the healthy hair cell divides frequently;

健康的毛髮細胞分裂頻繁；

and the cancer cell divides even more frequently and recklessly.

而癌細胞分裂更加頻繁也更不受限制。

When you take a chemotherapeutic drug,

當你服用化學治療藥物時，

it will hit all of these cells.

藥物會影響到所有細胞。

And remember that the drugs work typically by disrupting cell division.

請注意藥物作用是干擾細胞分裂。

So, every time a cell divides,

所以，每一次細胞分裂，

it opens itself up to attack,

都會讓自身受到藥物影響，

and that means the more frequently a cell divides,

這表示分裂越頻繁的細胞，

the more likely the drug is to kill it.

越容易被藥物毒殺。

So, remember that hair cell?

還記得毛髮細胞嗎？

It divides frequently and isn't a threat.

它經常分裂但對人體不夠成威脅。

And, there are other frequently dividing cells in your body

而且，人體中還有其他經常在分裂的細胞

like skin cells, gut cells, and blood cells.

諸如：皮膚細胞、腸細胞和血球。

So the list of unpleasant side effects of cancer treatment

所以在抗癌藥物 令人不適的副作用項目中

parallels these tissue types:

可以對應到這些組織：

hair loss,

skin rashes,

掉髮、

皮膚疹、

nausea,

噁心、

vomiting,

fatigue,

嘔吐、

倦怠、

weight loss,

體重減輕

and pain.

和疼痛。

That makes sense because these are the cells that get hit the hardest.

這很合理，因為這些都是受藥物影響最多的細胞。

So, in the end, it is all about growth.

到頭來一切都和生長有關。

Cancer hijacks cells' natural division machinery

癌症挾持了細胞自然的分裂機制

and forces them to put the pedal to the metal,

並迫使其走向極端，

growing rapidly and recklessly.

在毫無限制的狀況下快速生長。

But, using chemotherapeutic drugs,

但是，化學治療藥物

we take advantage of that aggressiveness,

就是充分利用癌細胞快速分裂的特性，

and we turn cancer's main strength

將它的長處

into a weakness.

轉換成弱點。