ABSTRACT
All cancerous cells share a common characteristic: the ability to proliferate and spread throughout the body. Cancer, including hereditary cancer, is caused by errors made during DNA replication. People with a family history of cancer inherit a predisposition to cancer due to a DNA mutation. However, this is not enough to cause cancer; additional mutations (either spontaneous or triggered by carcinogens) are necessary for the disease to emerge. Given the enormous amount of DNA that is replicated every second, it is no surprise that errors are made. The surprising fact is how few are made: Only one base in every 100,000 replicated bases is incorrect.
