Most people when they hear the word tumor think CANCER but that’s not always the case.

大多數人聽到腫瘤這個詞時，都會想到cancer，但事實並非總是如此。

There are a lot of different types of tumors, or neoplasms as they’re called by medical

有很多不同類型的腫瘤，或者說醫學上稱之為腫瘤。

professionals. The two main types, benign, which means it stays as it is, and doesn’t

的專業人士。主要有兩種類型，良性的，也就是保持原樣，不

change and malignant, which signals something bad, like cancer, which means it can spread.

變化和惡性，這預示著一些不好的東西，比如癌症，這意味著它可以擴散。

There’s a lot of tumor terminology. Names of tumors most often come from where they

腫瘤的術語有很多。腫瘤的名稱最常見的是來自於它們的所在地。

grow. Like Adenomas come from epithelial tissue, which is a thin layer or membrane that surrounds

增長。像腺瘤來自於上皮組織，上皮組織是一層薄薄的膜或膜，圍繞著

your organs. Fibroids grow on fibrous or connective tissue. Fibroma durum (hard fibroma) is a

你的器官。纖維瘤生長在纖維組織或結締組織上。硬纖維瘤（硬纖維瘤）是一種 "硬纖維瘤"。

common type, they’re those skin tags you get on your neck or armpit. Hemangiomas are

常見的類型，他們是那些皮膚標籤你得到你的脖子或腋下。血管瘤是

more like those strawberry birthmarks, they are just a collection of too many blood cells

更像那些草莓胎記，它們只是聚集了太多的血細胞而已。

in one place. These are often temporary and last just a few years in childhood.

在一個地方。這些往往是暫時性的，在童年時只持續幾年。

Those are just the benign tumors. Carcinomas are cancerous tumors found in epithelial cells.

這些只是良性腫瘤。癌瘤是存在於上皮細胞中的癌瘤。

Sarcomas start off in connective tissue, such as cartilage and bones. Leukemia originates

肉瘤開始於結締組織，如軟骨和骨骼。白血病起源於

in the marrow and generally mature in the blood or lymph nodes and Blastomas form from

在骨髓中，一般在血液或淋巴結中成熟，而囊腫瘤則是由以下因素形成的

embryonic tissue.

胚胎組織。

While they all go by different names, many tumors come from an overgrowth of tissues,

雖然它們都有不同的名稱，但很多腫瘤都是由組織過度生長而來。

maybe caused by a mistake in DNA. DNA might be damaged from radiation, tobacco smoke or

也許是由DNA的錯誤引起的。DNA可能因輻射、菸草煙霧或其他因素而受損

other environmental agents, or maybe it’s just a stroke of luck. Whatever causes it,

或者只是運氣好而已。不管是什麼原因

this mutation makes the cell divide uncontrollably, basically making clones of themselves. As

這種突變使細胞不受控制地分裂，基本上是在製造自己的克隆體。由於

the cells pile up, a tumor grows. If it grows big enough it can harm nearby organs and tissues

細胞堆積起來，腫瘤就會長出來。如果它長得足夠大，就會傷害附近的器官和組織。

or sometimes a part of the tumor can break off and take up residence in other parts of

或有時腫瘤的一部分會脫落，並在其他部位居住。

the body, which is when cancer metastasizes.

體，也就是癌症轉移的時候。

There’s another idea, that stem cells trigger tumors. These wonky stem cells drive tumor

還有另一種觀點，幹細胞會引發腫瘤。這些古怪的幹細胞推動了腫瘤的生長

growth and just like normal stem cells can give rise to differentiated cells. These stem

生長，就像正常的幹細胞一樣可以產生分化的細胞。這些幹

cells are especially good at resisting treatment like chemotherapy. Chemotherapy might wipe

細胞特別擅長抵抗化療等治療。化療可能會消滅

out those differentiated cells, but leave the cancer stem cells behind, so they come

淘汰那些分化的細胞，但留下癌症的幹細胞，所以他們來

back stronger and in greater numbers.

更加強大，數量更多。

And I mean chemotherapy is a brutal process, the first chemotherapy drugs were a derivative

我的意思是化療是一個殘酷的過程，第一種化療藥物是一種衍生物。

of mustard gas.. But it does have the nifty ability to stop cell growth. Which is handy

芥子氣...但它確實有阻止細胞生長的神奇能力。這是很方便的

when dealing with runaway cell growth. But it can also harm other type of cells that

在處理細胞失控生長時。但它也會對其他類型的細胞造成傷害。

grow a lot, like hair follicles. While modern drugs work in other ways, they’re still

長了很多，像毛囊一樣。雖然現代藥物在其他方面起作用，但它們仍然是

pretty nasty. With the usual side effects of hair loss, fatigue, nausea, and a knocking

挺討厭的。隨著通常的副作用 脫髮，疲勞，噁心，和敲打

out of the immune system.

出的免疫系統。

Another way we attack tumor cells is through radiation, where radiation beams are aimed

我們攻擊腫瘤細胞的另一種方法是通過輻射，輻射束的目標是------。

at a tumor and stop its growth by damaging DNA. While the immediate side effects are

腫瘤，並通過破壞DNA阻止其生長。雖然眼前的副作用是

minimal, it might feel like a sunburn. Other long-term effects might be more damaging.

最小的，它可能感覺像晒傷。其他長期影響可能更具破壞性。

And radiation isn’t 100% effective. Some tumor cells could get left behind, which is

而且放射線也不是100%有效。一些腫瘤細胞可能會被遺留，這是

a problem with surgery too.

也是手術的一個問題。

Some of these treatments are nasty and painful and seem to leave the job unfinished. So why

有些治療方法很討厭，很痛苦，似乎還沒有完成任務。那麼為什麼

haven’t we come up with anything better? Well there’ve been some cool new ideas put

我們沒有想出更好的辦法嗎？嗯，已經有一些很酷的新想法把

forward recently.

前進最近。

Researchers from Duke University are looking to treat tumors WITH POLIO. Polio, a horrible

杜克大學的研究人員正在尋找治療腫瘤與POLIO。小兒麻痺症，是一種可怕的

virus, used to run rampant and kill thousands of people a year and paralyze thousands more

病毒肆虐，每年造成數千人死亡，數千人癱瘓

until the introduction of a vaccine in 1955. You’d think the world would never want to

直到1955年疫苗的問世。你會覺得這個世界永遠不會想。

see the disease again. Yet over the past few decades scientists have reengineered the virus

再次見到這種疾病。然而在過去的幾十年裡，科學家們對病毒進行了重新的設計。

which seems to knock out a brain tumor’s defenses, allowing the patient’s immune

這似乎可以擊潰腦瘤的防禦系統，讓患者的免疫系統可以在腦瘤的治療過程中發揮更大的作用。

system to finish the job. GIVE THE DISEASE DISEASES… WHOA.

系統來完成工作。賜予病菌病菌......哇。

Another new idea might make surgery a little easier. Some researchers from the Fred Hutchinson

另一個新想法可能會讓手術變得更容易一些。一些來自弗雷德-哈欽森大學的研究人員

Cancer Center in Seattle propose injecting people with scorpion venom. Alright, sounds

西雅圖的癌症中心提議給人注射蠍子毒液。好吧，聽起來

crazy I know, but bear with me. The venom is injected into the patient's blood stream,

瘋了，我知道，但忍受我。毒液被注射到病人的血液中'。

crosses the blood-brain barrier, and makes its way into the brain tumor.

穿過血腦屏障，進入腦瘤。

Tumor Paint, as it’s appropriately called consists of two parts. Scorpion venom has

腫瘤漆，正所謂由兩部分組成。蠍子毒液有

to find it’s way to the prey’s brain to paralyze it. Turns out that same compound

來找到獵物的大腦，使其麻痺。原來，同一種化合物

binds really well the surface of brain tumor cells. The other part of Tumor Paint lights

能很好地結合腦腫瘤細胞的表面。腫瘤漆的另一部分燈

up under fluorescent light. This could be huge. That way brain surgeons can see the

在日光燈下上升。這可能是巨大的。這樣腦外科醫生就可以看到

tumor literally glowing and see where the tumor stops and the healthy brain tissue starts.

腫瘤字面發光，看看腫瘤在哪裡停止，健康的腦組織在哪裡開始。

But with any kind of new experimental treatment, it’s best to be cautious. Very cautious.

但對於任何一種新的實驗性治療，最好還是謹慎一些。非常謹慎。

We hear the term CURE FOR CANCER in the news a lot, and sometimes we never hear another

我們經常在新聞中聽到 "治癒癌症 "這個詞，但有時我們從來沒有聽說過另一個

word about those treatments again. It’s okay to be optimistic and skeptical at the

關於這些治療方法的消息再次傳來。懷疑和樂觀都是可以的。

same time. AND REMEMBER: say it with me now… MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED.

同一時間。並記住：現在和我一起說......需要更多的研究。

Can you go one whole day without producing trash? Take the #Zerowaste challenge this

你能做到一整天不產生垃圾嗎？接受#零廢棄的挑戰吧

Tuesday, April 14th and share your experience with Seeker! Go to the first link in the description

4月14日（週二），和大家分享一下你和探客的合作經歷吧!進入描述中的第一個鏈接

to find out more.

以瞭解更多資訊。