The Uncontrollable Growth of Cancer Various risks factors can contribute to the development of cancer, but the cause of this rampant disease is uncontrolled cell growth. Cancerous cells divide without limit because of the production of the enzyme telomerase that speeds up the process of cell division. Cancer cells derive from mutation in genetic DNA, and becomes carcinogenic cells that renew themselves indefinitely. When this fatal continuous process occurs, it results in a tumor. Although cancer may start with just one mutation, there are multiple ways it can be spread throughout the body system. Metastatic cancer is a cancer that has spread from the part of the body where it started (the primary site) to other parts of the body. This
