Final answer:
Cancer cells can maintain the length of their telomeres and avoid aging through the activation of the enzyme telomerase, which does not normally occur in somatic cells. Telomerase activity in cancer cells suggests a potential target for cancer therapy that could stop their uncontrolled division.
Step-by-step explanation:
The telomeres, or chromosome ends, of cancer cells do not undergo shortening following cell division, thus enabling them to achieve a sort of immortality. This phenomenon occurs because cancer cells often reactivate an enzyme called telomerase, which extends and maintains the length of telomeres. Most somatic cells in the human body do not produce telomerase, which leads to telomere shortening and is associated with the aging process. Interestingly, it has been observed that telomerase becomes active in cancer cells only after their telomeres have already been considerably shortened. The activity of telomerase is such a critical feature that if it could be inhibited during cancer therapy, it could potentially stop the division of cancer cells and hinder the progression of the disease.