Final answer:
Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell division due to mutations in genes that regulate the cell cycle, leading to the potential development of a tumor. When these tumors are malignant, they can invade other tissues and spread throughout the body, which is a defining characteristic of cancer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Defining Cancer
The disease of multicellular organisms that is characterized by uncontrolled cell division is known as cancer. Cancer involves a process wherein cells divide excessively and without the usual regulatory restraints that ensure the orderly replacement and functioning of cells. With mutations in genes that control the cell cycle, these abnormal cells may form a tumor, which is a mass of abnormal tissue.
Not all tumors are cancerous; a benign tumor remains localized and does not invade other tissues. However, when a tumor is malignant, it has the potential to invade neighboring tissues, potentially causing harm and spreading to other parts of the body, a process known as metastasis. Cancer is associated with damage to DNA, often due to exposure to carcinogens such as radiation, chemicals, or as the result of random mutations.