Earlier quoted context omitted.
extremely naive, dumb questeion: could cancer cells stem from some errant mutation of B cells? this might help explain why cancer cells grow uncontrollably and also escape detection by the immune system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-cell_lymphoma
How the Coronavirus Hacks the Immune System
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Re: How the Coronavirus Hacks the Immune System
#102Many paragraphs into the article and I still don’t know what important discovery or observation has been made
This kind of reporting interleaved with storytelling in a really weird voice is frustrating. Why do journalists write like this? What purpose does this word salad serve? I can do this myself! "On a bald September day, a man walks into a barber shop, languishes at the occupied seats, and voilà, while sensing upcoming bowel movements, he discovers the next great theory of economics."
Re: How the Coronavirus Hacks the Immune System
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
> could cancer cells stem from some errant mutation of B cells? That is exactly how lymphomas originate.
is it possible that other cancer cells are further downstream mutations of B cells? thanks for sharing. sorry if these are dumb questions.
Re: How the Coronavirus Hacks the Immune System
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
is it possible that other cancer cells are further downstream mutations of B cells? thanks for sharing. sorry if these are dumb questions.
It is unlikely, given that B cells are already differentiated. This means that they are unable to change into another cell type.
phrased another way: could the same process that spawns these legions of B cells also inadvertently spawn cancer cells?
related: healthy cells exhibit properties that allow them to go ignored by the immune system, similar to a VIP pass for bypassing security at a basketball game. is this right? if yes, what are the minimal properties that constitute this cellular VIP pass?
thanks for your help.