Exemplar Problems

Question:

How is a cancerous cell different from a normal cell?

Answer:

Cancerous cells differ from normal cells in several ways:

Uncontrolled Growth: Cancer cells divide and grow uncontrollably.

Loss of Differentiation: They often lose their specialized functions.

Invasion: Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and spread to distant sites (metastasis).

Abnormal Nuclei: They may have abnormal nuclei and chromosomes.

Lack of Contact Inhibition: Unlike normal cells, cancer cells do not stop dividing when they come into contact with neighboring cells.

Angiogenesis: Cancer cells can stimulate the formation of new blood vessels to supply nutrients.

Immune Evasion: They may evade the immune system’s surveillance.

Genomic Instability: Cancer cells accumulate genetic mutations.

Resistance to Cell Death: They may resist programmed cell death (apoptosis).

Altered Cell Signaling: Signaling pathways controlling growth may be disrupted.