Cancer Biology Important Questions
(Complete Quiz Notes)
Basic Definitions
1. What is neoplasia?
Answer: New, uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells.
2. What is anaplasia?
Answer: Loss of differentiation with no resemblance to normal tissue; aggressive
undifferentiated growth.
3. What is dysplasia?
Answer: Disordered/uncontrolled growth of cells, usually confined above the basement
membrane.
4. What is carcinoma in situ?
Answer: Severe dysplasia involving the full thickness of epithelium without invasion
through the basement membrane.
5. What is invasive carcinoma?
Answer: Cancer that invades through the basement membrane and spreads to nearby
tissues, lymphatics, or blood vessels.
6. What is metastasis?
Answer: Spread of malignant cells from the primary site to distant organs.
7. What is sarcoma?
Answer: Malignant tumor arising from mesenchymal/connective tissue.
8. What is carcinoma?
Answer: Malignant tumor arising from epithelial tissue.
9. What is adenoma?
Answer: Benign epithelial tumor forming glandular structures.
10. What is fibroma?
Answer: Benign tumor of fibrous connective tissue.
11. What is chondroma?
Answer: Benign tumor of cartilage.
12. What is lymphoma?
Answer: Malignant tumor of lymphoid tissue.
13. What is mesothelioma?
Answer: Malignant tumor arising from mesothelial tissue.
Tumor Spread
14. Most carcinomas spread through which route?
Answer: Lymphatics.
15. Which carcinoma commonly spreads through blood?
Answer: Choriocarcinoma.
16. Which tumors commonly spread hematogenously (through blood)?
Answer: Sarcomas.
17. Which route is commonly used by epithelial cancers for spread?
Answer: Lymphatic spread.
18. What is hematogenous spread?
Answer: Spread of tumor cells through blood vessels.
19. What is lymphatic spread?
Answer: Spread of cancer cells through lymphatic channels.
Tumor Grading and Staging
20. What is tumor grading based on?
Answer: Degree of differentiation.
21. Well-differentiated tumors indicate what grade?
Answer: Low-grade tumors.
22. Poorly differentiated/anaplastic tumors indicate what grade?
Answer: High-grade tumors.
23. What is cancer staging?
Answer: Determination of extent of tumor spread in the body.
24. What does TNM stand for?
Answer:
T → Tumor size/local invasion
N → Lymph node involvement
M → Metastasis
25. What does T represent in TNM staging?
Answer: Primary tumor size and extent.
26. What does N represent in TNM staging?
Answer: Regional lymph node involvement.
27. What does M represent in TNM staging?
Answer: Distant metastasis.
Cancer Genetics
28. Which gene is mutated in Li-Fraumeni syndrome?
Answer: p53 tumor suppressor gene.
29. What type of mutation occurs in Li-Fraumeni syndrome?
Answer: Germline mutation of p53.
30. What is the normal function of p53?
Answer: Cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and apoptosis.
31. Why is p53 called the “guardian of the genome”?
Answer: Because it prevents propagation of damaged DNA.
32. What is RB protein function?
Answer: RB inhibits E2F and blocks progression from G1 to S phase.
33. Relationship between RB protein and E2F?
Answer: RB binds E2F and prevents transcription of S-phase genes.
34. What happens when RB is phosphorylated?
Answer: E2F is released, allowing cell cycle progression.
35. What is the mechanism of RAS mutation in cancer?
Answer: Loss of GTPase activity causing continuous activation of RAS signaling.
36. RAS mutation leads to what effect?
Answer: Persistent cell proliferation.
37. What is a proto-oncogene?
Answer: Normal gene that can become an oncogene after mutation.
38. What is an oncogene?
Answer: Mutated gene promoting uncontrolled cell growth.
39. What is a tumor suppressor gene?
Answer: Gene that inhibits cell proliferation and prevents cancer.
40. Overexpression of BCL-2 causes what effect?
Answer: Inhibition of apoptosis.
41. BCL-2 overexpression results in what?
Answer: Increased survival of tumor cells.
42. What is telomerase activity in cancer cells?
Answer: Maintenance of telomere length causing cellular immortality.
43. Why are cancer cells considered immortal?
Answer: Due to activation of telomerase.
Molecular Biology and Epigenetics
44. What is histone acetylation associated with?
Answer: Increased gene transcription.
45. Why does histone acetylation increase transcription?
Answer: It relaxes chromatin structure.
46. What is DNA methylation generally associated with?
Answer: Gene silencing.
Cancer Metabolism
47. What is the Warburg effect?
Answer: Aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells even in presence of oxygen.
48. Why do cancer cells use aerobic glycolysis?
Answer: To support rapid growth and biosynthesis.
49. What is the basis of PET scan in cancer diagnosis?
Answer: Increased glucose uptake by tumor cells.
50. Which glucose analog is commonly used in PET scan?
Answer: Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG).
Clonality and Cancer Origin
51. What is the concept of clonality?
Answer: Tumor develops from a single mutated cell.
52. What are daughter cells in clonality?
Answer: Cells derived from the original mutated clone.
53. What is monoclonal origin of tumors?
Answer: Tumors arise from one transformed cell.
Cancer Epidemiology
54. What is incidence rate of cancer?
Answer: Number of new cancer cases occurring in a population during a specific
period.
55. What is prevalence of cancer?
Answer: Total number of existing cancer cases in a population.
Frequently Asked MCQs
56. Which tissue type is most prone to cancer development?
Answer: Rapidly dividing epithelial tissue (especially GI epithelium).
57. Which tumor spreads mainly through lymphatics?
Answer: Carcinoma.
58. Which tumor spreads mainly through blood?
Answer: Sarcoma.
59. Which carcinoma is famous for hematogenous spread?
Answer: Choriocarcinoma.
60. Which benign epithelial tumor forms glands?
A. Fibroma
B. Chondroma
C. Adenoma
D. Lymphoma
Answer: Adenoma
61. Which tumor arises from mesenchymal tissue?
Answer: Sarcoma.
62. Which malignant tumor arises from mesothelium?
Answer: Mesothelioma.
63. Which syndrome is associated with p53 mutation?
Answer: Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
64. What is the hallmark of anaplastic tumors?
Answer: Poor differentiation.
65. What is the hallmark metabolic feature of cancer cells?
Answer: Warburg effect (aerobic glycolysis).
66. PET scan positivity indicates what?
Answer: Increased glucose metabolism.
67. Which protein prevents apoptosis in tumors?
Answer: BCL-2.
68. Which phase transition is controlled by RB protein?
Answer: G1 → S phase transition.
69. What happens if RAS remains GTP-bound?
Answer: Continuous proliferative signaling.
70. What is the basis of cancer immortality?
Answer: Telomerase activation.