... the tissue. * As that cell develops into a clone, some if its descendants suffer a second mutation * This further deregulates the cell cycle of that cell and its descendants. * As the rate of mitosis in that clone increases, the chances of further DNA damage increases. * Eventually the growth of that clone becomes completely unregulated. * The result: full-blown cancer. Colon Cancer: An Example * Begins with the development of polyps in the epithelium of the colon. Polyps are benign growths * As time passes, the polyps may get bigger. * At some point, nests of malignant cells may appear within the polyps * If the polyp is not removed, some of these malignant cells will escape from the primary tumour and metastasise throughout the body. * Examination of the cells at the earliest, polyp, stage, reveals that they contain oncogenes. Cancers become more common as one gets older. This ...

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