Until recently, the mechanism of carcinogenesis has been regarded as a two-stage phenomenon involving damage to the genetic material, which initiates the process, followed by a cell-division stimulus, which promotes the development of the tumour. However, exposure to some chemicals has been shown to result in carcinogenesis without involvement of the initiation step. The mechanism of non-genotoxic carcinogenesis is not fully understood, but is believed to involve stimulation of cell division with a consequent increased probability of a mutation occurring spontaneously. In this article, Ian Shaw and Huw Jones review the theories of non-genotoxic carcinogenesis with reference to specific examples of known non-genotoxic carcinogens.