thanks for you input, Becca!
It does seem that cancer and autoimmune diseases have similarities--and yet there can be marked differences--sometimes cancer finds a way to hide from the immune system by hiding in sheep's clothing pretending to be "self" whereas autoimmune disease IS self, but sometimes the body thinks it isn't.
Interestingly they think have found a familial type of her2+ breast cancer which involves the gene FOXP3 which is necessary for a component of the immune system called Tregulatory cells, which are diminished in autoimmune diseases.
The puzzle still needs a lot of work!
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