What is Cancer?

Each cell throughout our body is tightly regulated during its growth and interaction with other cells to ensure that on a larger scale, tissues, organs, and organ systems function properly.

When a cell loses the normal function to properly regulate its growth, it can develop and divide abnormally, leading to uncontrollable cell growth and proliferation. This abnormal cell growth can affect boundaries of neighboring cells, eventually spreading to other tissues and organs. In these cells, normal constraints on cell division are ignored and bypassed as they invade and colonize surrounding areas normally occupied by other cells.

Groups of cells that have proliferated uncontrollably can be benign (harmless if removed), clustered into a single mass, or malignant (cancerous), dangerous when they have invaded surrounding tissues. The causes of these abnormal cell growths are attributed to mutagens and genetic instability, and occurrences increases with age.