... or mitosis and cell division happens a lot more often that in normal healthy cells. This is important to know because many drugs used to fight cancer attack malignant cells during the active phase. At this accelerated rate, they often begin to form a mass of dividing tissue called a tumour. The tumour is fed by nutrients that diffuse through neighbouring blood vessels and can also grow by forming a substance called tumour angiogenesis, or vessel forming, factor. This factor stimulates the growth of an independent blood supply to the tumour. So that it actually becomes independent to the surrounding blood vessels that it originally utilised. Tumours can cause destruction in three common ways: firstly tumours put pressure on nearby tissues and/or organs. Also, tumours invade tissues and organs directly, often damaging or disabling them in the process. And finally, tumours make invaded tissues and/or organs susceptible to infection. However, ...

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