What is cancer?
In a normal cell there is a balance between cell production
and cell death. This balance is regulated by genes in the
cell nucleus which exert their effects via proteins. During
the normal process some abnormal cells develop and these are
removed by the cells' protective mechanisms.
In cancer this normal balance is disrupted and these
abnormal cells are allowed to proliferate causing a tumour.
The danger to health in many instances is when tumour
cells escape into the circulation and are transported to other
tissues where they grow and proliferate (metastasis) and cause
disruption to the normal function of that tissue (malignancy).
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