An oncology student has shocked TikTok with a viral video that offers a glimpse into how quickly cancer cells can grow.
The microscope footage, shared by Sophie Williams, 23, a final-year PhD student from Nottingham, England, shows the rapid development of cancer cells in a laboratory flask. In the video, the cells are seen transforming from a low-count, circular shape to doubling in population by the third day and forming colonies by the fourth day.
The video, which has accumulated 5.5 million views under Williams' TikTok handle @philosophieeeee, has left viewers horrified. However, Williams reassures viewers that the fast cell growth in the lab does not represent the reality of cancer growth in the human body.
She told Newsweek: "In the labs, cancers have no competition with anything else to grow in a flask."
She added: "The media that they grow in has everything the cells need to grow which includes glucose, salt, amino acids and serum. This is all available in the human body but at fewer amounts since cancer needs to compete with other cells in the body. Cells also need oxygen to grow. In the labs, cancer has normal oxygen levels and has plenty of it to grow."
"In the body, there is less of that oxygen available since it is used by other cells, so there is roughly around 6 percent oxygen (physoxia). The cancers also do not get affected by the immune system in the microenvironment, whereas they do in the human body."
In the TikTok video, Williams was studying triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease. According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, there will have been an estimated 310,720 new cases of breast cancer in 2024, which represents about 15 percent of all new cancer cases.
In a previous interview with Newsweek, breast radiologist Dr. Anjali Malik emphasized the importance of self-examination for early detection. "It's new masses or lumps," she said. "Is it mobile or fixed? Is it warm to the touch? Is there any overlying change? You want to look for any skin changes in the breast and underarm, any discolouration, any changes in texture, any dimpling, or any discharge."
Breast surgical oncologist, Dr. Lauren Ramsey spoke to Newsweek about the spread of triple-negative breast cancer in the human body.
"It is a more aggressive form of cancer, meaning it can spread faster than other types. We call these cancers 'triple-negative' because they lack estrogenic, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) receptors, making them less responsive to hormonal therapies," she said.
Ramsey, the director of breast cancer surgery at John Peter Smith Hospital in Texas, added that the speed at this particular cancr spreads depends on several factors, including the tumor's size, grade, and stage at diagnosis, as well as the patient's overall health.
She explained that it's difficult to give a timeline of the growth rate as it depends on various factors and emphasized on the importnace of easrly detection.
"If left untreated it could progress in two to three months," she told Newsweek. "In more advanced stages, these cancers could metastasize to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, bones, or brain within a few months, especially if not detected and treated early."
"Early detection and treatment with chemotherapy, surgery, and possibly radiation can help manage the spread of disease and improve overall survival," Ramsey added.
Since being posted on October 17, the TikTok video has received over 344,000 likes and more than 1,400 comments. One commenter said, "This is frightening," while another wrote, "Cancer scares me so much."