National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute
U.S. National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute
Dictionary of Cancer Terms
Send to Printer
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.

Previous Definitions:progesterone receptor positive, progesterone receptor test, progestin, prognosis, prognostic factor
Next Definitions:progression, progression-free survival, progressive disease, prolactin, Proleukin