8. Immune System Intricacies: How Immunity Impacts BCC Prognosis
Here’s a not-so-fun fact: your immune system has a love-hate relationship with BCC. While a robust immune response is generally good for fending off infections and even some cancers, it’s a bit more complicated with BCC. It’s as if your body’s defense mechanisms are confused about how to deal with this particular intruder.
You’ve heard of immunocompromised people being more susceptible to various illnesses. Interestingly, that isn’t necessarily the case with BCC. Some studies have shown that an overactive immune response could actually contribute to BCC development. It’s like your body’s defense system goes into overdrive, causing more harm than good.
But wait, there’s more. Specific immune-suppressing drugs used for treating other conditions have been linked to a higher occurrence of BCC. This begs the question, is there a middle-ground immune response that’s just right for keeping BCC at bay? Researchers are fervently searching for that Goldilocks zone.(8)
