What is a potential outcome when apoptosis is disrupted?

When apoptosis is disrupted, the body may lose its ability to effectively eliminate damaged or dysfunctional cells. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a crucial mechanism that allows for the removal of cells that are no longer needed, are damaged, or have the potential to become cancerous. If this process is not functioning correctly, cells that should undergo apoptosis may survive and continue to proliferate.

This unregulated cell proliferation can lead to the accumulation of mutations and the development of potentially cancerous cells. As these dysfunctional cells continue to divide, there is an increased risk of tumor formation, contributing to the progression of cancer. Therefore, a disruption in apoptosis is directly linked to an increased likelihood of cancer development due to the survival and replication of hazardous cells.