What type of disease is characterized by uncontrolled cell division?

The type of disease characterized by uncontrolled cell division is cancer. Cancer arises when the regulation of cell growth and division is disrupted, leading to the formation of tumors and potentially spreading throughout the body. Normal cells have mechanisms in place to control their division, responding to signals that promote or inhibit growth. In cancer, these regulatory mechanisms fail, often due to genetic mutations or environmental factors, resulting in cells that replicate excessively and do not undergo normal programmed cell death (apoptosis).

Cancerous cells can invade surrounding tissues and metastasize to distant sites, a hallmark of malignancy that distinguishes cancer from benign growths, which do not exhibit the same uncontrolled behavior. Understanding cancer's nature is crucial for developing therapies and interventions aimed at treating this complex group of diseases. Other options, like infections, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases, involve different underlying mechanisms and do not primarily revolve around the concept of unchecked cellular proliferation.