Cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell division. Cancer cells behave differently than normal cells, and function incorrectly during the cell cycle. Which of these best describes how cell division irregularities might lead to cancer?

Question

Choose TWO correct answers.

Cancer cells become "stuck" in G1 of interphase, which causes each cell to grow excessively large.

Cancer cells keep dividing and do not stop when overcrowded, leading to tumor formation.

Cancer cells can divide many more times than normal cells in the body before they die off.

Cancer cells remain too long in the DNA Replication part of Interphase, which creates excessive copies of new cells.

Cancer cells divide far less than normal cells, allowing each individual cell to increase in size.

Part 2

What is the best justification for the correct answers you chose in Part 1?

G1 of interphase causes the enzymes that recognize cancer cells to shut down, allowing cancer to grow.

DNA Replication multiplies the DNA of cancer cells uncontrollably.

Tumors are caused by uncontrolled cell division, meaning that many more cells are present in tumor tissue than elsewhere within normal tissue.

Cancer cells are known to be larger than normal cells.

Answer 1

Part 1: Correct Answers

1. Cancer cells keep dividing and do not stop when overcrowded, leading to tumor formation.
2. Cancer cells can divide many more times than normal cells in the body before they die off.

Part 2: Best Justification

Tumors are caused by uncontrolled cell division, meaning that many more cells are present in tumor tissue than elsewhere within normal tissue.

Explanation

• The first correct answer highlights the hallmark trait of cancer cells: their ability to bypass the normal regulatory mechanisms that stop cell division when cells become overcrowded, leading to tumor formation.
• The second correct answer reflects the increased proliferative capacity of cancer cells, allowing them to undergo more divisions than normal cells, which contributes to the growth of tumors.
• The justification provided reinforces the concept that cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell division, resulting in an accumulation of cells and the formation of tumors.