question: What disease is the result of unchecked cell division caused by a breakdown of the mechanisms regulating the cell cycle?
distractor3: diabetes
distractor1: gout
distractor2: dementia
correct_answer: cancer
support: 6.3 Cancer and the Cell Cycle Cancer is the result of unchecked cell division caused by a breakdown of the mechanisms regulating the cell cycle. The loss of control begins with a change in the DNA sequence of a gene that codes for one of the regulatory molecules. Faulty instructions lead to a protein that does not function as it should. Any disruption of the monitoring system can allow other mistakes to be passed on to the daughter cells. Each successive cell division will give rise to daughter cells with even more accumulated damage. Eventually, all checkpoints become nonfunctional, and rapidly reproducing cells crowd out normal cells, resulting in tumorous growth.