The Undead City Inside You: Why Cancer Is So Difficult to Beat

We often think of cancer as a foreign invader, but the reality is far more terrifying and fascinating. Cancer is us. It is a rebellion from within.

As explained in the brilliant Kurzgesagt analysis, fighting cancer is like a city (your body) trying to stop a “zombie uprising” where the zombies are intelligent, adaptable, and look exactly like normal citizens. To understand why we haven’t cured it yet, we have to look at the three phases of this war: Elimination, Equilibrium, and Escape.

Phase 1: The Elimination Phase (The Silent War)

Every day, your body fights battles you never know about. It starts with a single corrupted cell that loses the ability to repair its DNA or self-destruct. It begins to multiply, creating a tiny “Tumor Town.”

To survive, these rebels steal resources from healthy neighbors. This damage attracts the “police”—your immune system. T-Cells, the “SWAT Team” of your body, arrive to cut off the tumor’s resources and massacre the corrupted cells.

In most cases, the body wins. The rebellion is crushed, the damage is repaired, and you go on with your life, never knowing you had a pre-cancerous tumor.

Phase 2: The Equilibrium Phase (Survival of the Fittest)

Here lies the cruel irony of cancer: Your immune system inadvertently makes the cancer stronger.

Through the process of natural selection, your immune system kills off the weak, stupid cancer cells. But if just one cell survives—one that is slightly faster, stronger, or better at hiding—it can rebuild the entire tumor.

It is a genetic arms race. The cancer cells aren’t just growing; they are learning how to survive your defenses.

Phase 3: The Escape Phase (Total Takeover)

Eventually, a mutation occurs that changes the game. A cancer cell figures out how to switch off the immune system. It develops a “fake permit,” mimicking a healthy cell so well that the immune police get confused and wander off.

The tumor builds a physical barrier—a Cancer Microenvironment—that prevents T-Cells from even entering the area. At this point, the tumor is no longer a small rebellion; it is a sprawling, fortified city.

The Future: Why Immunotherapy is Hope

The tragedy of cancer is that it is a “game without winners.” But we are learning to turn the tide. The most promising frontier is Immunotherapy.

Instead of just poisoning the body with chemotherapy, scientists are “upgrading” our immune cells. It’s like giving your body’s “building inspectors” machine guns and flamethrowers. We are teaching T-Cells to recognize the “fake permits” and break through the cancer’s defenses.

Cancer is resilient, but human ingenuity is evolving faster. By understanding the evolutionary game cancer plays, we are finally learning how to win.