LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM. Researchers at the University of Leicester and the St. George's Hospital
Medical School have reached the conclusion that most, if not all, cancers owe their initiation and progression
to a chronic inflammation. They point out that bladder cancer is associated with schistosomiasis (a parasite
infection), stomach cancer with a Helicobacter pylori infection, liver cancer with hepatitis-B or
hepatitis-C infection, colon cancer with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, etc. They believe the constant
activation of the immune system leads to increased angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels),
which is an essential requirement for tumour growth. They also suggest that exposure to a cancer-causing
virus is not going to cause cancer unless the host suffers from chronic inflammation and immune system
activation.
The researchers conclude that it may be possible to prevent and even reverse many cancers by increasing
the ratio of T-1 to T-2 helper cells and by taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and COX-2
inhibitors.
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