Cancer is a highly complex medical problem with ramifications for public health throughout the world. Most studies have mainly focused on change in the nuclei as being aetiologically responsible. Few have examined the relationship between the cytoplasm and cancer, despite the fact that research has indicated that the cytoplasmic environment is an important factor for cellular differentiation and that the genetic information provided by the nucleus is entirely dependent on this environment for its expression. Gene mutations may be the result, rather than the cause of carcinogenesis. We submit a new concept - "short base sequences" (50-500 bps, including DNA or RNA sequences) in the cytoplasm which could play an important role in carcinogenesis. This is a new theory to explain the origin of the cancer.