Columnist Dr. Cheryl Christy

Author's note: This column is intended for educational purposes only. It aims to highlight gaps in health knowledge, provide support and empower organizations to guide their members in creating effective health and wellness programs.

Cancer is a dysfunction of our immune system’s ability to recognize and control certain cells. Simple, daily habits can strengthen and support that ability through the immune system.

For decades, cancer has been seen as a silent invader — an external force waiting to strike without warning. Treatments became weapons of war, with the body becoming the battleground, and patients complaining they felt worse from the treatment than the cancer itself. Cancer is not an external threat, but rather a dysfunction of our own cells and the immune system’s ability to recognize and control them. Recent years have seen a shift in cancer treatment toward harnessing the immune system, with lymphocytes playing a key role. These specialized cells are the body’s cancer killers. Not only can lymphocytes be tracked and measured, but they can also be strengthened through simple daily habits.

LYMPHOCYTES EXPLAINED

There are three main types of lymphocytes: natural killer cells (NK), which are the body’s first line of defense; B cells, which produce antibodies against viruses and bacteria; and T cells, which attack the cells in our body that have been infected by viruses or cancerous cells. NK cells act quickly to identify and destroy cells infected with viruses and those cells showing early signs of cancer. They are crucial to the innate immune system’s defense against infections and tumors.

Three conditions must be met for lymphocytes to recognize and attack cancer:

• Lymphocytes must clearly recognize that the cancer cell appears abnormal. If the tumor looks like normal tissue, they ignore it.
• A T cell needs to receive antigen recognition signals and co-stimulatory signals. These two signals serve as a safety mechanism to prevent the body from accidentally attacking its own tissue. Unfortunately, cancer cells exploit this opportunity by utilizing the system's “off switch.” When activated, the immune system is instructed to allow the cancer rather than kill it.
• The tumor microenvironment can weaken immune cells, preventing them from functioning properly. Cancer cells can then adapt to evade the immune system in multiple ways (hiding, disguising themselves as normal cells, and creating a hostile environment for immune cells).

APPROACHES TO CANCER TREATMENT

There are two broad philosophies for treating cancer with fundamentally different approaches: conventional cancer care and immunotherapy. Conventional treatments include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The primary goal of these treatments is to directly induce damage to the tumor tissue. As collateral damage, lymphocytes are eliminated, leading to temporary immunosuppression. This is why cancer patients receiving this type of treatment are prone to infections, sometimes life-threatening. Immunotherapy takes the opposite approach by working to restore or enhance the body’s immune system, allowing it to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Both strategies are increasingly combined, with conventional treatments reducing tumor burden and immunotherapy maintaining long-term immune control.

A key to a cancer patient’s survival is maintaining lymphocytes, specifically the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, which can be determined from a standard blood test. It is a predictor of both overall and progression-free survival. This is true across many different cancers, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. This ratio is important to remember.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR LYMPHOCYTES

In cancer patients, treatments, supplements and lifestyle habits may include intravenous vitamin C, probiotics, an anti-inflammatory diet, vitamin D3, astragalus and reishi in addition to conventional treatment. Daily habits that can make a meaningful difference in supporting health and lymphocytes (which will strengthen the immune system and build long-term resilience) include regular and sufficient sleep, stress management, some sun exposure, regular exercise, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and adequate protein, along with zinc. Avoid toxins such as tobacco, alcohol and environmental pollutants, as well as obesity.

The immune system, free from inflammation, is the future of health.

Dr. Cheryl Christy is a Baldwin County resident and registered nurse with nearly 30 years of experience. She holds master's degrees in nursing education and nursing practice and a doctorate in nursing practice. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Pi Chapter, a certified lay counselor and the author of "Voices for Healthcare," a health care blog.

Read her previous column titled "If medical care is more advanced, why are chronic diseases still rising?" on www.GulfCoastMedia.com. Her blog can be found at https://substack.com/@dnprn.