Protection versus Harm: Cellular Senescence in the Context of Cancer

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2021/09/protection-versus-harm-cellular-senescence-in-the-context-of-cancer/

A little cellular senescence is a good thing. When a cell enters the state of senescence in response to potentially cancerous mutational damage it shuts down replication and secretes signals that attract the immune system. Immune cells destroy any such senescent, damaged, potentially dangerous cells that fail to destroy themselves. When senescent cells accumulate with age, however, as the immune system falters in its task of clearance, the inflammatory secretions of these errant cells – the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) – make the environment much more favorable for the creation and growth of cancer.

Cellular senescence provides a significant benefit to the host by inducing irreversible <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ce…

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