Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Muerte celular programada
Programmed cell death
A type of cell death in which a series of molecular steps in a cell leads to its death. This is the body’s normal way of getting rid of unneeded or abnormal cells. The process of programmed cell death may be blocked in cancer cells. Also called apoptosis.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.