If non-adhering cells don't die they can become _____ cells.

Non-adhering cells that do not undergo apoptosis can become cancerous cells under certain conditions. In a normal cellular environment, cells are required to adhere to their surrounding extracellular matrix or to other cells. This adherence is crucial for maintaining the integrity of tissue structure and function. When cells lose their adhesion, they can enter a state known as anchorage independence, which is a characteristic often associated with cancer cells.

In cancer, this loss of normal regulatory pathways that govern cell attachment and growth allows the cells to proliferate uncontrollably. They can evade programmed cell death (apoptosis) even when they are not anchored properly, leading to tumor formation. This multi-step process is known as malignant transformation, where cells acquire mutations and changes that eventually enable them to grow and spread without the necessary physical constraints that normally regulate cell growth.

In contrast, stem cells are defined by their ability to differentiate into various cell types and typically rely on specific conditions for their maintenance and function. Connective cells and nerve cells do not relate to the context of non-adhering cells in the same way that cancer cells do. Hence, non-adhering cells that manage to evade cell death hold the potential to become cancerous as they mimic characteristics of tumors, reinforcing the link