Cancer Cell Picture

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.

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