Cancer cells dividing, illustration. At top, a cancer cell is undergoing cytokinesis (cell division). Cytokinesis occurs after nuclear division (mitosis), which produces two daughter nuclei. Cancerous (malignant) cells divide rapidly and uncontrollably and are able to invade and destroy surrounding tissue. Another cancer cell is at lower right. The cancer cells illustrated here are showing numerous blebs (lumps) and microvilli (hair-like structures), which are characteristic of cancer cells.