Carcinogenesis, wanda kuma ake kira oncogenesis ko tumorigenesis, shine samuwar ciwon daji, inda kwayoyin halitta suka canza zuwa kwayoyin cutar kansa . Tsarin yana halin canje-canje a salon salula, kwayoyin halitta, da matakan epigenetic da rarraba kwayoyin halitta mara kyau. Rarraba tantanin halitta tsari ne na ilimin lissafi wanda ke faruwa a kusan dukkanin kyallen takarda kuma a ƙarƙashin yanayi iri-iri. Yawanci, ma'auni tsakanin yaduwa da tsarin mutuwar kwayar halitta, a cikin nau'i na apoptosis, ana kiyaye shi don tabbatar da amincin kyallen takarda da gabobin . Bisa ga ka'idar da aka yarda da ita ta carcinogenesis, ka'idar maye gurbi na somatic, maye gurbi a cikin DNA da epimutations wanda ke haifar da ciwon daji ya rushe waɗannan matakai masu tsari ta hanyar tsoma baki tare da shirye-shiryen da ke tsara tsarin tafiyar matakai, tada ma'auni na yau da kullum tsakanin yaduwa da mutuwar kwayar halitta. Wannan yana haifar da rarrabuwar tantanin halitta mara sarrafawa da haɓakar waɗannan sel ta zaɓin yanayi a cikin jiki. Wasu maye gurbi ne kawai ke haifar da ciwon daji yayin da yawancin maye gurbi ba sa.