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Editor,
The Journal of Integrative Medicine
Formerly, Associate Professor of Pathology (adj.), College
of Physicians
and Surgeons of Columbia University, NY
Formerly, President of Staff and Chief Pathologist,
Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, NJ
Fellow, Royal
College of Surgeons of England -
Diplomate,
American Board of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology
Diplomate, American Boards of Environmental Medicine
Past President Capital University of Integrative
Medicine |
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Oxidative Theory of Cancer
From The Book RDA: Rats, Drugs and
Assumptions
The dogma of drug medicine holds that
cancer results from gene mutation, and assumes that once such mutation occurs, it is
irreversible. This viewpoint is tragically erroneous.
Here, I briefly describe my theory that cancer is caused by oxidative
molecular damage. Such damage may involve genes as well as nongenetic cellular molecules
such as enzymes that seam together DNA and RNA molecules from their components. Other
nongenetic molecules such as proteins with regulatory roles may be involved. This theory
is consisted with my opinion that all diseases, except those triggered by trauma, are
caused by oxidative damage.
Several cancers are associated with nutritional factors. Environmental
factors have been incriminated in the cause of others. In experimental animal
models, many types of cancers can be produced with viruses and carcinogenic chemicals.
This is an age of gene manipulation, and enormous sums of money are committed to gene
research each year. Some genes---oncogenes, as they are commonly called---are thought to
trigger cancer formation. Certain genes---P53 are related suppressor genes---have been
ascribed protective roles against cancer. At present, the concept that genetic changes are
irreversible and that genes govern cancer formation and growth is firmly entrenched in the
drug medicine dogma. All efforts at cancer control are directed at developing new
chemotherapy drugs and antibodies to destroy cancer cells.
Notwithstanding billions of dollars spent on cancer research, and a yet
larger number of words written to publish the findings of such research, this approach
does not work nor does it have any chance of working. (Hodgkin's disease and some uncommon
tumors are a few exceptions to this general rule.)
The fundamental question remains unanswered. What causes cancer? Cancer
specialists invariably shrug and dismiss this question as both impertinent and an unwanted
distraction in their pursuit of killing cancer with chemotherapy drugs.
Genes Preserve Health, Genes Make Evolution
Possible
DNA in human cells provides the blueprint
for approximately 60,000 proteins. These molecules are essential for human life in all its
stages: at birth, during spurts of growth in infancy and childhood, immune defense against
infections, wound healing, digestive-absorptive functions, energy and detoxification
pathways, and eventually for decomposition and disintegration of tissues after death.
If DNA was copied flawlessly every time, there would have been no
evolution---to evolve is to change and no change can be maintained for a long time except
through a change in DNA configuration. Without DNA alterations, today we would have the
same DNA as our genetic ancestors over three billion years ago---and the same physical
characteristics as single-celled microbes that existed then.
If DNA is copied with a mistake, each copying error carries the risk of
fatal structural or functional derangement's. A common example of such an event is
miscarriage---the spontaneous aborted fetus show evidence of DNA damage in most, if not
all, instances.
Every second that passes, the DNA in each cell of
your body is being damaged. Chemical bonds are breaking. DNA strands are snapping, and
nucleotide bases are flying off. Each cell loses more that 10,000 bases per day just from
the spontaneous breakdown of DNA at body temperature. Meanwhile, many cells are dividing
and therefore copying DNA, and each copy introduces the possibility of error.
Science 266:1926;1994
Translation: Each DNA molecule in the body
has 10,000 chances in a single day of becoming cancerous. Of the estimated 100
trillion cells in the body, we can conservatively assume that at least one hundred cells
in the body of a child---one trillion in all---divides every day. Since each break, loss
or alteration in a DNAbase can potentially cause cancer, it follows that a child may have
as many as 10,000 trillion chances of developing a cancer cell on a given day. Why then,
doesn't every child die of cancer during childhood?
DNA copying occurs with an astounding accuracy---on the average, only
three base pair mistakes are thought to occur when copying 3 billion pairs of human genome
(Science 266:1925;1994). This mind-numbing copying accuracy is assured by the most
extraordinary DNA repair system composed of several enzymes. Thus, the reason all of us do
not have cancer at all times in the enormous capacity of our DNA repair enzyme systems.
This explains the primary difference between the philosophy of
oncologists and holistic physicians. An oncologist strive to kill the last living cancer
cell with chemotherapy drugs even when he knows the therapy serious damages patient's DNA
repair enzyme system. Indeed, this explains how chemotherapy substantially increase the
risk of second cancer. The holistic physicians, by contrast, seeks to facilitate the
body's own healing ability---or, in our present context, the DNA repair system of enzymes.
Continue to part two of this article
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