BIOLOGY-CANCER MODULE
FINAL 2025 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS VERIFIED BY
EXPERTS
Which of the following reasons could explain the dramatic success of Gleevec as a
targeted therapy for CML?
a) The limited specificity of the drug for cancer cells
b)The fact that the drug can easily penetrate the tumor mass
c) A target that is poorly expressed in CML cells
d) The fact that CML is a rare cancer
e) None of the above - CORRECT ANSWER>>>e) None of the above
Which of the following factors is LEAST helpful in discerning the prognosis of cancer
patients:
a) Evidence of cancer cells in the breast
b) The presence of metastasis
c) The availability of effective targeted therapies
d) The absence of metastasis
e) All of the above are equally helpful - CORRECT ANSWER>>>a) Evidence of cancer
cells in the breast
In the naked mole rat paper we discussed in class, which of the following statements is
accurate based on the results shown in Figure 4:
a) Mouse cells have improved anchorage-independent growth when treated with HAase
b) Ras expression plus HAase treatment is sufficient to elevate anchorage-independent
growth in NMR cells
c) Elimination of HMM-HA is necessary to cause robust anchorage-independent growth
in NMR cells
d) HAase treatment is necessary to cause robust anchorage-independent growth in
mouse cells that express Ras and LT
e) More than one of the above - CORRECT ANSWER>>>c) Elimination of HMM-HA is
necessary to cause robust anchorage-independent growth in NMR cells
In reference to the findings on oxygen sensing that won the 2019 Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine, which of the following statements is NOT true:
a) HIF-1 can function as an oncogene
b) Hypoxic conditions cause HIF-1 protein to be sent to the proteasome
c) VHL can function as a tumor suppressor gene
d) Proline hydroxylation of VHL in hypoxic conditions causes HIF-1 degradation
e) all of the above statements are true - CORRECT ANSWER>>>d) Proline
hydroxylation of VHL in hypoxic conditions causes HIF-1 degradation
1
, If you were a physician who was treating a patient with lung cancer what three different
types of therapy might you elect to use? Make sure to justify WHY and UNDER WHICH
CIRCUMSTANCES you would choose each type of therapy - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>The three different types of therapy that I might elect to use is surgery,
targeted therapy, and radiation therapy.
If cancer has not spread into other parts of the body and concentrated in one area then I
would surgically remove the cancer to be able to not invade other parts of the body.
This is because having the cancer being surgically removed can help the patient not be
on numerous medications at once and be able to leave the hospital after a short period
of time. The only thing would be follow ups after the surgery to ensure that surgery was
successful.
Surgery does not always work so targeted therapy would be the most resources.
Crizotinib is a type of targeted therapy that is used to treat metastatic cancer that has
already spread, non-small cell lung cancer that is caused by a defect in either a gene
called anaplastic lymphoma kinase or a gene called ROS1. Crizotinib is a type of cancer
growth blocker called a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It works by blocking certain chemical
messengers that tell cells to grow. This stops or slows down the cancer.
Now, the crizotinib might not always slow or stop cancer from spreading. Could be that
crizotinib only targeted one specific area and the cancer has spread. For advanced lung
cancers and those that have spread to other areas of the body, such as the bones, liver,
adrenal glands. Chemotherapy would help relieve symptoms, such as pain for the
patient. Chemotherapy would work throughout the entire body and target all cells than
just one specific area, however chemotherapy does have harmful side effects and can
be a long process both mentally and physically draining.
Which of the following contributes to the abundance of HMM-HA in naked mole rat cells:
a) Low endogenous HAase activity
b) Elevated CD44 activity
c) Inferior binding of HMM-HA to cells
d) Enhanced activation of ECI
e) More than one of the above - CORRECT ANSWER>>>a) Low endogenous HAase
activity
Included with this question is a figure summarizing some research in my laboratory.
Identify one oncogene (in addition to Ras) and one tumor suppressor gene in this
diagram and explain your reasoning for each selection. Hint: An arrow symbol means
activation and a "T" symbol means inhibition. - CORRECT ANSWER>>>An oncogene
can be defined as a mutated gene that has the potential to cause cancer. An example of
an oncogene could be SGK1, because if mutated, it could result in the protein being
hyperactive and a increase in glucose transportation across the membrane, resulting in
the pathway being hyperactive.
A tumor suppressor gene encodes a protein that acts to regulate cell division. One
example of a tumor suppressor gene is the PHLPP1 because normal activity inhibits
Akt, so if PHLPP1 underwent a loss of function mutation, Akt would not be inhibited
because the PHLPP1 is inactivated for cancer to develop.
2
FINAL 2025 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS VERIFIED BY
EXPERTS
Which of the following reasons could explain the dramatic success of Gleevec as a
targeted therapy for CML?
a) The limited specificity of the drug for cancer cells
b)The fact that the drug can easily penetrate the tumor mass
c) A target that is poorly expressed in CML cells
d) The fact that CML is a rare cancer
e) None of the above - CORRECT ANSWER>>>e) None of the above
Which of the following factors is LEAST helpful in discerning the prognosis of cancer
patients:
a) Evidence of cancer cells in the breast
b) The presence of metastasis
c) The availability of effective targeted therapies
d) The absence of metastasis
e) All of the above are equally helpful - CORRECT ANSWER>>>a) Evidence of cancer
cells in the breast
In the naked mole rat paper we discussed in class, which of the following statements is
accurate based on the results shown in Figure 4:
a) Mouse cells have improved anchorage-independent growth when treated with HAase
b) Ras expression plus HAase treatment is sufficient to elevate anchorage-independent
growth in NMR cells
c) Elimination of HMM-HA is necessary to cause robust anchorage-independent growth
in NMR cells
d) HAase treatment is necessary to cause robust anchorage-independent growth in
mouse cells that express Ras and LT
e) More than one of the above - CORRECT ANSWER>>>c) Elimination of HMM-HA is
necessary to cause robust anchorage-independent growth in NMR cells
In reference to the findings on oxygen sensing that won the 2019 Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine, which of the following statements is NOT true:
a) HIF-1 can function as an oncogene
b) Hypoxic conditions cause HIF-1 protein to be sent to the proteasome
c) VHL can function as a tumor suppressor gene
d) Proline hydroxylation of VHL in hypoxic conditions causes HIF-1 degradation
e) all of the above statements are true - CORRECT ANSWER>>>d) Proline
hydroxylation of VHL in hypoxic conditions causes HIF-1 degradation
1
, If you were a physician who was treating a patient with lung cancer what three different
types of therapy might you elect to use? Make sure to justify WHY and UNDER WHICH
CIRCUMSTANCES you would choose each type of therapy - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>The three different types of therapy that I might elect to use is surgery,
targeted therapy, and radiation therapy.
If cancer has not spread into other parts of the body and concentrated in one area then I
would surgically remove the cancer to be able to not invade other parts of the body.
This is because having the cancer being surgically removed can help the patient not be
on numerous medications at once and be able to leave the hospital after a short period
of time. The only thing would be follow ups after the surgery to ensure that surgery was
successful.
Surgery does not always work so targeted therapy would be the most resources.
Crizotinib is a type of targeted therapy that is used to treat metastatic cancer that has
already spread, non-small cell lung cancer that is caused by a defect in either a gene
called anaplastic lymphoma kinase or a gene called ROS1. Crizotinib is a type of cancer
growth blocker called a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It works by blocking certain chemical
messengers that tell cells to grow. This stops or slows down the cancer.
Now, the crizotinib might not always slow or stop cancer from spreading. Could be that
crizotinib only targeted one specific area and the cancer has spread. For advanced lung
cancers and those that have spread to other areas of the body, such as the bones, liver,
adrenal glands. Chemotherapy would help relieve symptoms, such as pain for the
patient. Chemotherapy would work throughout the entire body and target all cells than
just one specific area, however chemotherapy does have harmful side effects and can
be a long process both mentally and physically draining.
Which of the following contributes to the abundance of HMM-HA in naked mole rat cells:
a) Low endogenous HAase activity
b) Elevated CD44 activity
c) Inferior binding of HMM-HA to cells
d) Enhanced activation of ECI
e) More than one of the above - CORRECT ANSWER>>>a) Low endogenous HAase
activity
Included with this question is a figure summarizing some research in my laboratory.
Identify one oncogene (in addition to Ras) and one tumor suppressor gene in this
diagram and explain your reasoning for each selection. Hint: An arrow symbol means
activation and a "T" symbol means inhibition. - CORRECT ANSWER>>>An oncogene
can be defined as a mutated gene that has the potential to cause cancer. An example of
an oncogene could be SGK1, because if mutated, it could result in the protein being
hyperactive and a increase in glucose transportation across the membrane, resulting in
the pathway being hyperactive.
A tumor suppressor gene encodes a protein that acts to regulate cell division. One
example of a tumor suppressor gene is the PHLPP1 because normal activity inhibits
Akt, so if PHLPP1 underwent a loss of function mutation, Akt would not be inhibited
because the PHLPP1 is inactivated for cancer to develop.
2
