--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cancer cells have a lot of other things…" description: "\"Cancer cells have a lot of other things that are really wrong with them, and we should never forget that these are cells that have become deaf to all t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/elizabeth-blackburn-12953_body_cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things_2025094.jpg" --- # Cancer cells have a lot of other things that are really… ![“Cancer cells have a lot of other things that are really wrong with them, and we should never forget that these are cells that have become deaf to all the signals that the body sends out, such as you can multiply a certain amount, you can be in a certain place in the body, where to stay, where to…” quote by Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/elizabeth-blackburn-12953_body_cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things_2025094.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/elizabeth-blackburn-12953_body_cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things_2025094.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/elizabeth-blackburn-12953_body_cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things_2025094.jpg) > “Cancer cells have a lot of other things that are really wrong with them, and we should never forget that these are cells that have become deaf to all the signals that the body sends out, such as you can multiply a certain amount, you can be in a certain place in the body, where to stay, where to move, and so on.” [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cancer cells ignore normal regulatory signals, leading to uncontrolled growth and spread. **In simple terms:** Cancer cells ignore body signals, causing uncontrolled growth. Key Takeaway Target signaling pathways to control cancer. Themes biology oncology cellular biology signal transduction Mood concerned determined hopeful Type scientific educational When to use this quote - research labs - clinical trials - patient treatment plans - drug development Key Concepts oncogenes tumor suppressors cell cycle regulation Questions to Reflect On - How can therapies differentiate cancer cells from normal cells? - What signaling pathways are most promising for intervention? A Different Perspective Targeting signals may affect normal cells and cause side effects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ## Related quotes > [But what humans forget, cells remember. The body, that elephant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/but-what-humans-forget-cells-remember-the-body-that-elephant/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [The most dangerous cancer cells are actually the ones that are more like stem cells, which have this ability to produce themselves over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/the-most-dangerous-cancer-cells-are-actually-the-ones-that-are-more/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Cancer cells have had so many other things go wrong with them, genetic, non-genetic changes, that those cells, one of the things they then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/cancer-cells-have-had-so-many-other-things-go-wrong-with-them-genetic/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [What we do in the laboratory is we try to design drugs that will not just eradicate cancer cells but will eradicate their homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/what-we-do-in-the-laboratory-is-we-try-to-design-drugs-that-will-not/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [I believe that we are going to have a much deeper appreciation of what kinds of abnormalities in cancer cells and in the surrounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-e-varmus/i-believe-that-we-are-going-to-have-a-much-deeper-appreciation-of/) [Harold E. Varmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-e-varmus/) > [Probably all of us have random rogue cancer cells floating around in our bodies but by and large, in the majority of cases, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-glimcher/probably-all-of-us-have-random-rogue-cancer-cells-floating-around-in/) [Laurie Glimcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-glimcher/) > [“Cell division allows us as organisms to grow, to adapt, to recover, to repair—to live. And distorted and unleashed, it allows cancer cells to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cell-division-allows-us-as-organisms-to-grow-to-adapt-to-recover-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Such a strange thing. What was terrible for a healthy fetus has been wonderful at defeating the cancer cells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-ferraro/such-a-strange-thing-what-was-terrible-for-a-healthy-fetus-has-been/) [Geraldine Ferraro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-ferraro/) > [The crows that are predatory are something you have to deal with. For me, they also become associated with cancer cells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/the-crows-that-are-predatory-are-something-you-have-to-deal-with-for/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [The first observation of cancer cells in the smear of the uterine cervix gave me one of the greatest thrills I ever experienced during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgios-papanikolaou/the-first-observation-of-cancer-cells-in-the-smear-of-the-uterine/) Georgios Papanikolaou > [Cancer cells are fixed at an age where they are still too young to have learned the rules of the society in which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/cancer-cells-are-fixed-at-an-age-where-they-are-still-too-young-to/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [When in organism there are cancer cells, they have to be removed, not helped because they're "so young" and "so creative".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janusz-korwin-mikke/when-in-organism-there-are-cancer-cells-they-have-to-be-removed-not/) [Janusz Korwin-Mikke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janusz-korwin-mikke/) > [Cancer cells come pre-programmed to execute a well-defined cascade of changes, seemingly designed to facilitate both their enhanced survival and their dissemination through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/cancer-cells-come-pre-programmed-to-execute-a-well-defined-cascade-of/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Sex slows down the growth of cancer cells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sex-slows-down-the-growth-of-cancer-cells/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Saw a film on cancer yesterday, shown by the English delegation. No doubt about it. I'm right. "Migratory cancer cells" are amoebic formations. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/saw-a-film-on-cancer-yesterday-shown-by-the-english-delegation-no/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) ## More by Elizabeth Blackburn > [Perhaps arising from a fascination with animals, biology seemed the most interesting of sciences to me as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/perhaps-arising-from-a-fascination-with-animals-biology-seemed-the/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Ageing is so many different things, and cells being able to self-renew is part of the picture but not all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/ageing-is-so-many-different-things-and-cells-being-able-to-self-renew/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Generally, we try to have a situation where the person is healthy, so you're not confounded by disease. So, that means that healthy individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/generally-we-try-to-have-a-situation-where-the-person-is-healthy-so/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Researchers have found that the brain definitely sends nerves directly to organs of the immune system and not just to the heart and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/researchers-have-found-that-the-brain-definitely-sends-nerves/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Checking your telomere length is a bit like weighing yourself: you get this single number which depends on a lot of factors. Telomere length…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/checking-your-telomere-length-is-a-bit-like-weighing-yourself-you-get/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [“Remember, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Don’t be too timid or squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/remember-as-ralph-waldo-emerson-said-don-t-be-too-timid-or-squeamish/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [If a test showed you had telomere shortening, it would be a red flag suggesting you should take a look at possible risk factors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/if-a-test-showed-you-had-telomere-shortening-it-would-be-a-red-flag/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes in cells. Chromosomes carry the genetic information. Telomeres are buffers. They are like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/telomeres-are-the-protective-caps-at-the-ends-of-chromosomes-in-cells/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [I was using very unconventional methods to sequence the telemetric DNA, originally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/i-was-using-very-unconventional-methods-to-sequence-the-telemetric/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [One characteristic aspect of ageing is the increased susceptibility to disease, particularly age-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/one-characteristic-aspect-of-ageing-is-the-increased-susceptibility/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [I'm pretty good about getting some exercise every day - well, most days. The secret for me was to put the elliptical in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/i-m-pretty-good-about-getting-some-exercise-every-day-well-most-days/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Observational studies show that exercise, nutritional supplements and reducing psychological stress can help. Chronic high stress and smoking can lead to accelerated telomere shortening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/observational-studies-show-that-exercise-nutritional-supplements-and/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [This enzyme, called telomerase, slows the rate at which telomeres degrade, and research indicates that healthy people with longer telomeres have less risk of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/this-enzyme-called-telomerase-slows-the-rate-at-which-telomeres/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Biology sometimes reveals its fundamental principles through what may seem at first to be arcane and bizarre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/biology-sometimes-reveals-its-fundamental-principles-through-what-may/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [In my early work, our molecular views of telomeres were first focused on the DNA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/in-my-early-work-our-molecular-views-of-telomeres-were-first-focused/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) [Explore all 49 Elizabeth Blackburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. 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My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cancer cells have a lot of other things that are really wrong with them, and we should never forget that these are cells that have become deaf to all the signals that the body sends out, such as you can multiply a certain amount, you can be in a certain place in the body, where to stay, where to move, and so on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Blackburn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things-that-are-really-wrong-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things-that-are-really-wrong-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/elizabeth-blackburn-12953_body_cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things_2025094.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/elizabeth-blackburn-12953_body_cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things_2025094.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/elizabeth-blackburn-12953_body_cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things_2025094.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cancer cells have a lot of other things that are really wrong with them, and we should never forget that…” — Elizabeth Blackburn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elizabeth Blackburn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Cancer cells have a lot of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things-that-are-really-wrong-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/cancer-cells-have-a-lot-of-other-things-that-are-really-wrong-with/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```