BCMB 311 Final Exam Questions with Verified
Correct Answer
Consider a healthy adult animal in which 1015 cell divisions have taken place since birth.
Spontaneous mutations can occur at a rate of approximately one nucleotide out of about
ten billion nucleotides every time DNA is replicated. The animal has a diploid genome size
of about 2 billion nucleotide pairs. Assuming that only about 5% of mutations occur within
genes or gene regulatory sequences, and further assuming that about 0.1% of those may
cause cancer, how many potential cancer-causing mutations has the animal been able to
successfully suppress (i.e. has been able to survive) during its lifetime?
A. Ten thousand
B. Onehundredthousand C. Tenmillion
D. Onebillion
E. Tenbillion
E. Tenbillion
Indicate true (T) and false (F) statements below regarding the properties of cancer cells.
Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters T and F only, e.g. TFFF.
( ) Cancer cells invade and colonize territories that normally belong to other cells.
( ) Unlike in normal tissues, cell death is extremely rare in tumors.
( ) Cancer cells grow and proliferate in defiance of normal restraints.
( ) Malignant tumors are composed of cells that grow and proliferate, but still have not
acquired invasiveness.
TFTF
,Indicate whether each of the following cancers can be best classified as a carcinoma (C),
sarcoma (S), or neither of the two (N). Your answer would be a four-letter string composed
of letters C, S, and N only, e.g. SSNC.
( ) Breast cancer
( ) Lung cancer
( ) Colorectal cancer
( ) Myeloma
CCCN
Among the following cancers, one is currently leading to the most number of deaths in the
United States and in the rest of the world. In the United States, it contributes to cancer
mortality more than the next three killing cancers combined. Worldwide, it claims more
than 1.5 million lives every year. Which cancer is this?
A. Lung cancer
B. Breast cancer
C. Colon cancer
D. Pancreatic cancer
E. Stomach cancer
A. Lung cancer
Indicate true (T) and false (F) statements below regarding cancer. Your answer would be a
four-letter string composed of letters T and F only, e.g. TFFF.
( ) Cancer can be induced by infectious agents such as viruses.
( ) The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances are for a cure.
,( ) Most cancers originate from a single aberrant cell.
( ) A single mutation is NOT enough to turn a normal cell into a cancer cell.
TTTT
A benign neoplasia of cartilage is called a.. A.Chondrocarcinoma
B. Chondroma
C. Chondrosarcoma
D. Adenochondroma
E. Chondromelanoma
B. Chondroma
Indicate whether each of the following descriptions better applies to a cancer cell (C) or a
normal adult cell (N). Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters C and
N only, e.g. CCNC.
( ) Higher lactate production
( ) Higher oxidative phosphorylation
( ) Contact inhibition
( ) Anchorage independence
CNNC
In medical oncology, PET (positron emission tomography) is used to selectively image
tumors in the body and to monitor cancer progression and response to treatment. Before
performing a PET scan, the patient should fast for at least several hours for blood glucose
to be sufficiently low. At the time of the scan, the positron-emitting glucose analog
fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is injected into the bloodstream and the patient is asked to wait
, for up to an hour while avoiding physical activity. Finally, the scanner moves slowly over
the body to reveal the location of possible tumors. Why do you think the patient should
avoid physical activity before the scan?
A. To prevent the Warburg effect
B. To accelerate glucose uptake by the tumor cells
C.To prevent the absorption of the radio active tracer by healthy tissues
D. To promote fermentation in healthy tissues
E. All of the above
C. To prevent the absorption of the radio active tracer by healthy tissues
Compared to cells of a normal tissue, which of the following occurs less frequently in cells
within a solid tumor?
A. Apoptosis
B. Necrosis
C. Celldivision
D. Mitotic recombination
E. Stress
A. Apoptosis
Which of the following proteins is NOT encoded by a proto-oncogene?
A. Src
B. Ras
C. EGFreceptor
Correct Answer
Consider a healthy adult animal in which 1015 cell divisions have taken place since birth.
Spontaneous mutations can occur at a rate of approximately one nucleotide out of about
ten billion nucleotides every time DNA is replicated. The animal has a diploid genome size
of about 2 billion nucleotide pairs. Assuming that only about 5% of mutations occur within
genes or gene regulatory sequences, and further assuming that about 0.1% of those may
cause cancer, how many potential cancer-causing mutations has the animal been able to
successfully suppress (i.e. has been able to survive) during its lifetime?
A. Ten thousand
B. Onehundredthousand C. Tenmillion
D. Onebillion
E. Tenbillion
E. Tenbillion
Indicate true (T) and false (F) statements below regarding the properties of cancer cells.
Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters T and F only, e.g. TFFF.
( ) Cancer cells invade and colonize territories that normally belong to other cells.
( ) Unlike in normal tissues, cell death is extremely rare in tumors.
( ) Cancer cells grow and proliferate in defiance of normal restraints.
( ) Malignant tumors are composed of cells that grow and proliferate, but still have not
acquired invasiveness.
TFTF
,Indicate whether each of the following cancers can be best classified as a carcinoma (C),
sarcoma (S), or neither of the two (N). Your answer would be a four-letter string composed
of letters C, S, and N only, e.g. SSNC.
( ) Breast cancer
( ) Lung cancer
( ) Colorectal cancer
( ) Myeloma
CCCN
Among the following cancers, one is currently leading to the most number of deaths in the
United States and in the rest of the world. In the United States, it contributes to cancer
mortality more than the next three killing cancers combined. Worldwide, it claims more
than 1.5 million lives every year. Which cancer is this?
A. Lung cancer
B. Breast cancer
C. Colon cancer
D. Pancreatic cancer
E. Stomach cancer
A. Lung cancer
Indicate true (T) and false (F) statements below regarding cancer. Your answer would be a
four-letter string composed of letters T and F only, e.g. TFFF.
( ) Cancer can be induced by infectious agents such as viruses.
( ) The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances are for a cure.
,( ) Most cancers originate from a single aberrant cell.
( ) A single mutation is NOT enough to turn a normal cell into a cancer cell.
TTTT
A benign neoplasia of cartilage is called a.. A.Chondrocarcinoma
B. Chondroma
C. Chondrosarcoma
D. Adenochondroma
E. Chondromelanoma
B. Chondroma
Indicate whether each of the following descriptions better applies to a cancer cell (C) or a
normal adult cell (N). Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters C and
N only, e.g. CCNC.
( ) Higher lactate production
( ) Higher oxidative phosphorylation
( ) Contact inhibition
( ) Anchorage independence
CNNC
In medical oncology, PET (positron emission tomography) is used to selectively image
tumors in the body and to monitor cancer progression and response to treatment. Before
performing a PET scan, the patient should fast for at least several hours for blood glucose
to be sufficiently low. At the time of the scan, the positron-emitting glucose analog
fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is injected into the bloodstream and the patient is asked to wait
, for up to an hour while avoiding physical activity. Finally, the scanner moves slowly over
the body to reveal the location of possible tumors. Why do you think the patient should
avoid physical activity before the scan?
A. To prevent the Warburg effect
B. To accelerate glucose uptake by the tumor cells
C.To prevent the absorption of the radio active tracer by healthy tissues
D. To promote fermentation in healthy tissues
E. All of the above
C. To prevent the absorption of the radio active tracer by healthy tissues
Compared to cells of a normal tissue, which of the following occurs less frequently in cells
within a solid tumor?
A. Apoptosis
B. Necrosis
C. Celldivision
D. Mitotic recombination
E. Stress
A. Apoptosis
Which of the following proteins is NOT encoded by a proto-oncogene?
A. Src
B. Ras
C. EGFreceptor
