Question

Cancer cells are more easily damaged by radiation than normal cells because they are

• A. Starved of nutrition
• B. Undergoing rapid division
• C. Different in structure
• D. Non-dividing

Answer 1

The correct option is B

Undergoing rapid division

The correct option is B.
The explanation for the correct option:

1. High doses of radiation are used in radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, as a cancer treatment to eradicate cancer cells and reduce tumour size.
2. Cancer cells acquire gene alterations that transform them from healthy cells to cancer cells.
3. These gene mutations can be passed down via., families, develop gradually as we age and our genes deteriorate or show up if we are exposed to chemicals that damage our genes, such as alcohol, tobacco smoke, or ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
4. Fast-growing cells are most negatively impacted by radiation therapy.
5. Radiation kills cancer cells by preventing them from proliferating and multiplying.
6. Cancer cells are therefore more susceptible to radiation damage due to their rapid cell proliferation.

Explanations for the incorrect options:
Option A:

1. Cancer cells are ravenous, consuming loads of glucose as they grow.
2. They are not starved of nutrition.

Option C:

1. The cell shape of a cancerous cell becomes irregular and it contains a small amount of cytoplasm.
2. The nucleus of a normal cell is smooth and spheroid whereas in a cancer cell it looks like a bulge scientifically called a ‘bleb’.
3. The fine, evenly distributed chromatin found in normal cells transforms into coarse chromatin in cancer cells which aggregates into irregular clumps that vary in both size and shape.
4. The nucleolus becomes increasingly enlarged and more irregular in cancer cells.
5. Cancer cells remain remain immature and undifferentiated.

Option D:

1. Cancer cells divide uncontrollably.
2. Cancer cells grow and continue to make new aberrant cells rather than perish.
3. These cells have the ability to infect organs like the pancreas, liver, lungs, and breast.

Final answer: Cancer cells are more easily damaged by radiation than normal cells because they are undergoing rapid division.