Question

What is the most important property of a cancer cell, whether it is in the body or the culture dish?

Select one:

a.

its loss of growth control

b. its chromosome complement

c. its secretions

d. its size

e. its inability to divide

Answer 1

The most important property of cancer cells is their ability to grow rapidly due to uncontrolled cell division. When the cancer cells have grown in large mass called tumor, they loose adhesion and start migrating from their origin site called metastasis.

The chromosome complement of cancer cells is not as the normal cells, generally it shows aneuploidy (increase or decrease in number of chromosomes) due to uncontrolled DNA replication and cell division.

Cancer cells secrete proteases which clears the surrounding path for metastasis, invasion and further growth.

Cancer cells have larger and abnormal size and shape in comparison to normal cells.

Cancer cells are capable of uncontrolled and rapid cell division.

So the most important characteristic of all the characteristics of the cancer cells mentioned above is the loss of growth control which leads to all other features of cancer cells.