• Question: I'm curious about cancer, do you know if it is an acid or and alkali?

    Asked by navy520zyme on 10 Mar 2025.
    • Photo: Martin Pike

      Martin Pike answered on 10 Mar 2025:

      Cancers have little to do with acid-base chemistry. Having said that, chronic (long-lasting) acid reflux can irritate the lower oesophagus (gullet) – the epithelial lining is resistant to scraping, not to acid. The acid can cause cell damage and in repairing themselves, some cancers develop in the distal (far) oesophagus. Cancer cells are normal body cells that for a few reasons no longer reproduce normally – they no longer respond to the normal regulation and divide at the expense of adjacent tissues…and eventually the organism as the abnormal cells are transported to other parts of the body (we call these metastases).

    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 13 Mar 2025:

      Cancer is basically a programming error! Our cells are programmed to do certain things by DNA in them. However, that programme can be mis-read or can be altered by external factors like chemicals and radiation. The cells then do something they are not supposed to do like grow more rapidly and live for ever.

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