How does cancer spread through the body? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun
1,995,007 Views
20,356 Questions Answered
TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
Cancer usually begins with one tumor in a specific area of the body. But if the tumor is not removed, cancer has the ability to spread to nearby organs as well as places far away from the origin, like the brain. How does cancer move to these new areas and why are some organs more likely to get infected than others? Ivan Seah Yu Jun explains the three common routes of metastasis.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
For more about metastatic cancer, the American Cancer Society has a specific webpage dedicated to answering multiple questions on the topic. The National Cancer Institute also has many answers to those serious questions that you may have. The Emperor of all Maladies, a book by Siddhartha Mukherjee offers a biography of cancer from both the doctor’s and patients perspective. Read the New York Times book review about it called: The Mind of a Disease. Listen to an interview of the writer and read the prologue at NPR’s Fresh Air.
Want to learn more about cancer cells? Watch the TED-Ed Lesson: How do cancer cells behave differently from healthy ones. How about preventing cancer in the first place? Watch: Can we eat to starve cancer? a TED Talk by William Li. Want some more ideas about maintaining a healthy diet? Visit the Prevent Cancer Foundation and get some healthy eating ideas that just might reduce your risk of getting cancer! Visit the American Institute for Cancer Research for a list of foods that fight cancer!
What is being done to help cancer patients? Immunotherapy is one option. Visit the American Cancer Society and find out exactly what the options are and the new and upcoming ideas about treating cancer. For even more background on the different immunotherapy treatments visit Cancer Immunotherapy at the Cancer Research Institute site. Read one woman’s story about immunotherapy. View this New York Times Graphic and find out how scientists are helping T-cells fight cancer.
Scientist are still working diligently to find a cure for cancer. One of the latest is “evolving a protein” to help fight it. Visit Stanford and find out more. Can Viruses Be Used to Fight Cancer? This is another option scientists are looking at, listen and learn at NPR’s Science Friday.
Want to learn more about cancer cells? Watch the TED-Ed Lesson: How do cancer cells behave differently from healthy ones. How about preventing cancer in the first place? Watch: Can we eat to starve cancer? a TED Talk by William Li. Want some more ideas about maintaining a healthy diet? Visit the Prevent Cancer Foundation and get some healthy eating ideas that just might reduce your risk of getting cancer! Visit the American Institute for Cancer Research for a list of foods that fight cancer!
What is being done to help cancer patients? Immunotherapy is one option. Visit the American Cancer Society and find out exactly what the options are and the new and upcoming ideas about treating cancer. For even more background on the different immunotherapy treatments visit Cancer Immunotherapy at the Cancer Research Institute site. Read one woman’s story about immunotherapy. View this New York Times Graphic and find out how scientists are helping T-cells fight cancer.
Scientist are still working diligently to find a cure for cancer. One of the latest is “evolving a protein” to help fight it. Visit Stanford and find out more. Can Viruses Be Used to Fight Cancer? This is another option scientists are looking at, listen and learn at NPR’s Science Friday.
About TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator Ivan Seah Yu Jun
- Animation Artist Andrew Foerster
- Script Editor Michael Molina
- Narrator Addison Anderson
