Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell division and the ability of these cells to invade other tissues, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue (invasion) or by migration of cells to distant sites (metastasis). This unregulated growth is caused by damage to DNA, resulting in mutations to vital genes that control cell division, among other functions. One or more of these mutations, which can be inherited or acquired, can lead to uncontrolled cell division and tumor formation. Tumor ("swelling" in Latin) refers to any abnormal mass of tissue, but may be either malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous). Only malignant tumors are capable of invading other tissues or metastasizing.

References

• {{fnb|1}} Jemal A, Murray T, Ward E, Samuels A, Tiwari RC, Ghafoor A, Feuer EJ, Thun MJ. Cancer statistics, 2005. CA Cancer J Clin 2005;55:10-30. Fulltext. PMID 15661684.
• {{fnb|2}} Cancer: Number one killer (9 November, 2000). BBC News online. Retrieved 2005-01-29.
• {{fnb|3}} Questions and Answers About Beta Carotene Chemoprevention Trials
• {{fnb|4}} Bilal A, Treating Cancer with Stem Cells, Medical Engineer, 25 July 2005 Fulltext