HIV vaccine a reality!

[Lissa]

In general, as I understand it from my sister and BIL, cancers tend to hijack the RNA mechanism that instigates cell division. Usually, a cell has a comparatively lengthy growth phase, then at some point it divides. A carcinoma cell skips the growth phase, and just divides, and divides, and divides. Also, there is a mechanism in cells that tell them to stop dividing and become immortal (that is they can die, but they are set to permanent repair mode). Understanding cancer, also helps us understand aging, since many cancers are the result of transcription errors or mutations due to radiation or chemicals. In a younger person, the bodies repair mechanisms would find and kill rogue cells before they cause trouble. As we age, our endocrine systems slow down and our cell anomalies eventually kill us. Put another way... we are designed to die. If you live long enough, you will get cancer. Transcription errors due to cell division are why cancers tend to end up in the places where cells are replaced rapidly, like skin, and intestinal lining.

The cure for cancer is also the fountain of youth.

What you're talking about are the telomeres getting screwed up. Your cells contain teleomeres that tell a cell the maximum times it can divide, which is about 50 times (this is not true of stem cells which can divide as many times as necessary before they become the cell type they are destined to become). Cancer overrides the telomeres and screws with the DNA.