Colorectal Cancer Certification Exam
Instructions: Choose the best answer for each of the fol-
lowing questions.
1. What is the most common precursor lesion for the
development of colorectal cancer?
a) Hyperplastic polyp
b) Tubular adenoma
c) Inflammatory polyp
d) Hamartomatous polyp
2. The progression from normal mucosa to adenoma to
carcinoma is known as the:
a) Metaplasia-dysplasia sequence
b) Adenoma-carcinoma sequence
c) Lynch pathway
d) Serrated pathway
3. Which gene mutation is considered the "gatekeeper"
and is most commonly associated with the initiation
of sporadic colorectal cancer?
a) KRAS
b) p53
c) APC
d) BRAF
4. A patient with hundreds to thousands of colorectal
polyps and a near 100% lifetime risk of CRC most
likely has:
a) Lynch Syndrome
b) Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome
c) Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP)
d) Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome
5. Lynch Syndrome (HNPCC) is primarily caused by a
defect in:
a) Oncogenes
, b) DNA mismatch repair genes
c) The APC tumor suppressor gene
d) Tumor angiogenesis genes
6. Which of the following is a NON-modifiable risk factor
for colorectal cancer?
a) Diet high in processed meat
b) Age over 50
c) Smoking
d) Physical inactivity
7. A patient presents with fatigue, weakness, and iron-
deficiency anemia. Colonoscopy is most likely to re-
veal a tumor in the:
a) Rectum
b) Sigmoid colon
c) Descending colon
d) Cecum (right colon)
8. A patient reports a new onset of constipation, nar-
row-caliber stools, and bright red blood on the toilet
paper. These symptoms are most characteristic of a
tumor in the:
a) Right colon
b) Transverse colon
c) Left colon or rectum
d) Appendix
9. The feeling of incomplete evacuation, often associ-
ated with rectal cancer, is termed:
a) Hematochezia
b) Melena
c) Tenesmus
d) Obstipation
10. The gold standard for diagnosing colorectal can-
cer is:
a) Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)
b) CT Colonography
Instructions: Choose the best answer for each of the fol-
lowing questions.
1. What is the most common precursor lesion for the
development of colorectal cancer?
a) Hyperplastic polyp
b) Tubular adenoma
c) Inflammatory polyp
d) Hamartomatous polyp
2. The progression from normal mucosa to adenoma to
carcinoma is known as the:
a) Metaplasia-dysplasia sequence
b) Adenoma-carcinoma sequence
c) Lynch pathway
d) Serrated pathway
3. Which gene mutation is considered the "gatekeeper"
and is most commonly associated with the initiation
of sporadic colorectal cancer?
a) KRAS
b) p53
c) APC
d) BRAF
4. A patient with hundreds to thousands of colorectal
polyps and a near 100% lifetime risk of CRC most
likely has:
a) Lynch Syndrome
b) Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome
c) Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP)
d) Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome
5. Lynch Syndrome (HNPCC) is primarily caused by a
defect in:
a) Oncogenes
, b) DNA mismatch repair genes
c) The APC tumor suppressor gene
d) Tumor angiogenesis genes
6. Which of the following is a NON-modifiable risk factor
for colorectal cancer?
a) Diet high in processed meat
b) Age over 50
c) Smoking
d) Physical inactivity
7. A patient presents with fatigue, weakness, and iron-
deficiency anemia. Colonoscopy is most likely to re-
veal a tumor in the:
a) Rectum
b) Sigmoid colon
c) Descending colon
d) Cecum (right colon)
8. A patient reports a new onset of constipation, nar-
row-caliber stools, and bright red blood on the toilet
paper. These symptoms are most characteristic of a
tumor in the:
a) Right colon
b) Transverse colon
c) Left colon or rectum
d) Appendix
9. The feeling of incomplete evacuation, often associ-
ated with rectal cancer, is termed:
a) Hematochezia
b) Melena
c) Tenesmus
d) Obstipation
10. The gold standard for diagnosing colorectal can-
cer is:
a) Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)
b) CT Colonography
