Mitotic catastrophe is an event in which a cell is destroyed during mitosis

Mitosis

Mitosis is the process by which a eukaryotic cell separates the chromosomes in its cell nucleus into two identical sets, in two separate nuclei. It is generally followed immediately by cytokinesis, which divides the nuclei, cytoplasm, organelles and cell membrane into two cells containing roughly...

. This is believed by some to occur as a result of an attempt at aberrant chromosome segregation early in mitosis, or as a result of DNA damage later. Cells which fail to go through a mitotic catastrophe after a mitotic failure are likely to create aneuploid cells

Aneuploidy

Aneuploidy is an abnormal number of chromosomes, and is a type of chromosome abnormality. An extra or missing chromosome is a common cause of genetic disorders . Some cancer cells also have abnormal numbers of chromosomes. Aneuploidy occurs during cell division when the chromosomes do not separate...

 when they later reproduce, posing a risk of oncogenesis, potentially leading to cancer.