HSC 4555 EXAMPREP CERTIFICATION
EVALUATION EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2026
◉ Carcinoma is of epithelial origin. Sarcoma is connective tissue,
mesenchymal (nerve, bone, muscle) origin. Leukemia is of white
blood cell origin.
Answer: Following question 76, what are their origins?
◉ True
Answer: True or False: Benign are differentiated cells, whereas
malignant are undifferentiated/ non-functional cells.
◉ Second
Answer: Fill in the blank: Cancer is the---------- leading cause of
death in the U.S.
◉ A malignant tumor which is cancerous will compress the blood
vessels. Then the tumor cells will secrete enzymes or hormones that
leads to inflammation and a loss of normal cells. This results in
angiogenesis which is when the tumor forms its own blood vessels
in order to grow bigger.
Answer: What is the pathophysiology of malignant tumors- cancer?
,◉ Carcinogens
Answer: What are cancer causing agents?
◉ Gain of functions genes which are mutations causes overactivity
of genes. In their normal state, these genes are called proto-
oncogenes, however when proto-oncogenes undergo a mutation
they become cancerous-causing oncogenes. Loss of function genes
mutation causes underactivity of genes, which are called tumor
suppressor genes.
Answer: What are the two groups that cancer-critical genes are
grouped into, and define them?
◉ They code for growth factors, receptors, cytoplasmic signaling
molecules, and transcription factors.
Answer: What do proto-oncogenes code for?
◉ Oncogenes introduced to host cells by viruses, proto-oncogene
within cell suffers mutagenic event, DNA sequence may be lost or
damaged and allows proto-oncogene to become abnormally active,
and errors in chromosome replication cases extra copies of proto-
oncogene in the genome.
Answer: How can proto-oncogenes become activated?
◉ BRCA 1 and BRCA 2
, Answer: What are two examples of tumor suppressor genes?
◉ 1. Initiation: DNA damage (mutation), 2. Promotion: proliferation
(growth promoters), 3. Progression: development of cancerous
phenotype
Answer: What are the three steps of carcinogenesis?
◉ Blood and lymph
Answer: Metastasis can spread to distant sites via what two ways?
◉ Prostate specific antigen (PSA), and CA-125 for ovarian cancer
Answer: Tumor markers help identity parent tissues of cancer
origin, what are the examples for prostate cancer and ovarian
cancer?
◉ True, so grading refers to the appearance of the cells, whereas
staging refers to the location of the cancer and where it has spread
to.
Answer: True or False: Grading is the histologic characterization of
tumor cells, whereas staging is the location and patterns of spread
within the host.
◉ True
Answer: True or False: Early detection is the best prognosis for cure.
EVALUATION EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2026
◉ Carcinoma is of epithelial origin. Sarcoma is connective tissue,
mesenchymal (nerve, bone, muscle) origin. Leukemia is of white
blood cell origin.
Answer: Following question 76, what are their origins?
◉ True
Answer: True or False: Benign are differentiated cells, whereas
malignant are undifferentiated/ non-functional cells.
◉ Second
Answer: Fill in the blank: Cancer is the---------- leading cause of
death in the U.S.
◉ A malignant tumor which is cancerous will compress the blood
vessels. Then the tumor cells will secrete enzymes or hormones that
leads to inflammation and a loss of normal cells. This results in
angiogenesis which is when the tumor forms its own blood vessels
in order to grow bigger.
Answer: What is the pathophysiology of malignant tumors- cancer?
,◉ Carcinogens
Answer: What are cancer causing agents?
◉ Gain of functions genes which are mutations causes overactivity
of genes. In their normal state, these genes are called proto-
oncogenes, however when proto-oncogenes undergo a mutation
they become cancerous-causing oncogenes. Loss of function genes
mutation causes underactivity of genes, which are called tumor
suppressor genes.
Answer: What are the two groups that cancer-critical genes are
grouped into, and define them?
◉ They code for growth factors, receptors, cytoplasmic signaling
molecules, and transcription factors.
Answer: What do proto-oncogenes code for?
◉ Oncogenes introduced to host cells by viruses, proto-oncogene
within cell suffers mutagenic event, DNA sequence may be lost or
damaged and allows proto-oncogene to become abnormally active,
and errors in chromosome replication cases extra copies of proto-
oncogene in the genome.
Answer: How can proto-oncogenes become activated?
◉ BRCA 1 and BRCA 2
, Answer: What are two examples of tumor suppressor genes?
◉ 1. Initiation: DNA damage (mutation), 2. Promotion: proliferation
(growth promoters), 3. Progression: development of cancerous
phenotype
Answer: What are the three steps of carcinogenesis?
◉ Blood and lymph
Answer: Metastasis can spread to distant sites via what two ways?
◉ Prostate specific antigen (PSA), and CA-125 for ovarian cancer
Answer: Tumor markers help identity parent tissues of cancer
origin, what are the examples for prostate cancer and ovarian
cancer?
◉ True, so grading refers to the appearance of the cells, whereas
staging refers to the location of the cancer and where it has spread
to.
Answer: True or False: Grading is the histologic characterization of
tumor cells, whereas staging is the location and patterns of spread
within the host.
◉ True
Answer: True or False: Early detection is the best prognosis for cure.
