It is often said that normal cells change into cancerous cells frequently in our bodies. Which of the following explanations accounts for the relative rarity of cancer?
Question 44 options:
The cancerous cells die on their own.
The DNA repair system fixes the mutation that causes cancer.
The cancer cells grow only very slowly at first.
The cancerous cells are normally crowded out by normal cell growth.
The DNA repair system fixes the mutation that causes cancer.
Explanation:
Mutations that could cause cancer (such as mutations that promote uncontrolled cell growth) are often detected and repaired by the DNA repair machinery. Cancer cells are also often detected and can undergo apoptosis (programmed cell death) to prevent them from continuing to grow and proliferate quickly.
