Tumor is a pathological process characterized by the appearance of a newly formed tissue, which has genetically determined anomalies of cell growth, maturation and apoptosis. The main properties of the tumor that distinguish it from normal tissues are:
- autonomous, unrestrained and limitless growth, i.e., growth not controlled by the body but regulated autonomously by the tumor itself;
- violation of cell proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation, which manifests as an imbalance between cell proliferation and death;
- relative insufficiency and incomplete nature of apoptosis;
- cell death through incomplete apoptosis can stimulate tumor growth due to mitogenetic factors released from the apoptotic bodies.