• Normal cells age and die, and are replaced in a controlled and
orderly manner by new cells. Apoptosis is the normal,
programmed death of cells. Normal cells can divide only about fifty
times before they die. This is related to their ability to replicate
DNA only a limited number of times. Each time the chromosome
replicates, the ends (telomeres) shorten. In growing cells, the
enzyme telomerase replaces these lost ends. Adult cells lack
telomerase, limiting the number of times the cell can divide.
However, telomerase is activated in cancer cells, allowing an
unlimited number of cell divisions.
• Normal cells cease to divide and die when there is DNA damage or
when cell division is abnormal. Cancer cells continue to divide,
even when there is a large amount of damage to DNA or when the
cells are abnormal. These progeny cancer cells contain the
abnormal DNA; so, as the cancer cells continue to divide they
accumulate even more damaged DNA.