Carcinogenesis

/ˌkɑrsɪnəˈdʒɛnəsɪs/ noun

The biological process by which normal cells transform into cancer cells through genetic mutations and cellular changes.

From Greek 'karkinos' (crab/cancer) and 'genesis' (origin). Developed as a medical term in the early 1900s when scientists realized cancer wasn't a single disease but a multi-step transformation process.

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