ACTUAL Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
apoptosis - CORRECT ANSWER - natural cell death
necrosis - CORRECT ANSWER - cell death that results from an insult, such as a lack of
blood supply, physical trauma, or cytotoxic therapy that leads to rupture of the cell membrane
and spilling of cell contents
malignant cells - CORRECT ANSWER - cells that do not have a finite number of cell
divisions as normal cells do; lost the ability to undergo apoptosis; can keep replicating and
dividing indefinitely
aberrant cell division - CORRECT ANSWER - the primary characteristic of malignant
cells
tumor suppression genes - CORRECT ANSWER - these keep normal cellular growth in
check by regulating cell division, DNA repair, and apoptosis; if damaged or absent, cells lack the
appropriate growth-inhibiting signals and grow out of control
nadir - CORRECT ANSWER - the period of time after a course of chemotherapy in which
the patients blood counts are lowest
physical barrier - CORRECT ANSWER - the first layer of defense that provides protective
immunity through anatomic barriers; ex. skin, mucous membranes
innate passive immunity - CORRECT ANSWER - the second layer of defense that
provides rapid, nonspecific response to invading pathogens
, adaptive acquired immunity - CORRECT ANSWER - the third layer of defense
tumor marker - CORRECT ANSWER - a characteristic feature or byproduct of a tumor
cell that serves as a useful indication of tumor cell origin or tumor activity
risk stratification - CORRECT ANSWER - allows for tailoring therapy after consideration
of factors beyond those traditional staging systems; this approach allows for early intensification
of treatment
pharmacokinetics - CORRECT ANSWER - the movement of a drug in the body and
studies how the body affects the administered drug
pharmacogenetics - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of how a person's genetic makeup
affects that person's response to drug therapy
surgery - CORRECT ANSWER - often used as a method for treating cancer with the
primary goal being to reduce the tumor burden so that any remaining cancer cells can be more
effectively destroyed by host immunologic factors, chemo, or immunotherapy
resection - CORRECT ANSWER - surgical treatment of a tumor by removing it
complete resection - CORRECT ANSWER - surgical treatment that involves the removal
of all visible and microscopic evidence of the tumor
partial resection - CORRECT ANSWER - surgical debulking that involves resecting a
portion of the tumor because the entire mass cannot be completely or safely removed
chemotherapy - CORRECT ANSWER - drug therapy aimed at reducing visible tumor
volume by cytotoxic effects and preventing tumor cell division and spread; agents are designed
to kill malignant cells during different phases of the cell cycle