Buzz Out Loud Lounge: Hormone Imbalance vs Cancer

Hormone Imbalance vs Cancer

First of all, I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. That said, I do have a degree in Molecular Genetics and Molecular Immunology, so I thought people may have questions about what a hormone imbalance is, and how it effects the onset of cancer.

Hormones are used by your body to (among other things) tell precursor cells to mature into certain types of cells needed. For example, there are hormones that tell stem cells to turn into a B cell, a T cell, a red blood cell etc. Correct levels of hormones are essential for the body to self-regulate these many processes.

Hormone imbalance in and of itself does not create cancer, but it does create a higher risk of getting certain types of cancer. For example, my wife had a hormone imbalance (due to being pregnant), and was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma (a mole that went bad) 10 days before our twins were born. She passed away just over 2 years ago, at the age of 31.

In short, Steve Job's taking a leave of absence hopefully will allow him to take the time to get his health in order. No one should put work over health, and I'm glad he's putting himself first.