A new YouTube animation created by Dr. Vinay Samuel Gaikwad shows the frightening reality of how cancer forms and spreads inside the body. The video explains that cancer begins when genetic mutations cause cells to multiply uncontrollably, forming tumors that can be either harmless or deadly.
Cancer remains a major health concern, with the American Cancer Society predicting over two million new cases and more than 600,000 deaths in the US in 2025 alone. The simulation explains the difference between benign tumors, which don’t spread, and malignant tumors, which invade surrounding tissues and can metastasize to other organs.
While the causes of these mutations are often unknown, certain lifestyle and environmental factors can increase cancer risk. The detailed explanation unsettled many viewers, some of whom expressed fear and curiosity about how cancer was handled before modern medicine.
Another simulation by Dr. Paulien Moyaert illustrated how cancer can lead to organ failure. Tumors in the digestive tract can block vital functions, and pancreatic cancer can cause the organ to self-destruct, making it one of the most painful types. Lung cancer can cause death by suffocation when oxygen flow is blocked.
The simulation also discusses how cancer weakens immunity, and how chemotherapy further suppresses bone marrow, reducing the body’s ability to fight infections and control bleeding.
Bone marrow infiltration by cancer cells causes anemia and lowers white blood cells and platelets, leading to serious health problems.
Cachexia, a wasting condition caused by cancer toxins, leads to severe weight and muscle loss in many patients. It is a major cause of death in cancer patients, especially those with gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancers.
Though treatments can delay cachexia, unchecked cancer growth eventually overwhelms the body. This animation provides a clear, if chilling, look at the science behind cancer’s progression.
