Tumorigenesis

A tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the body, usually facilitated by a lack of apoptosis (natural cell death), therefore allowing for uncontrolled growth of unwanted or damaged cells. Tumors can be benign (non-cancerous, usually harmless) or malignant (cancerous, harmful, and can spread further).

The phrase ‘tumorigenesis’ refers to the initial formation of a tumor in the body. Over the last 50 years, the multiplicity of cancer has been demonstrated to be increasingly palpable via a variety of scientific studies that have previously demonstrated some common characteristics of tumorigenesis as a process.

Of late, a selection of models representing multistep tumorigenesis, such as through small genetic modifications, have been theorized to clarify how the metamorphosis of a normal cell into a potentially dangerous cancer cell could come to be.

Tissue regeneration and development in mammals takes place via proteins called regulatory growth factors. These factors, therefore, affect many of the parameters surrounding cell development:  proliferation, survival, and certain aspects of cell behavior, as well as cell differentiation, are all determined by the delicate balance between inhibitory and stimulatory signals given by these factors.

The exact effect of any of these growth factors is wholly influenced by the concentration of said factor, the type of responding cell, and the existence of external stimuli. For example, some growth factors could accomplish a selection of functions when put under alternative circumstances.