$$\text{Tumor DNA} - \text{Normal DNA} = \text{Somatic Mutations}$$

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT one of the ten recognized hallmarks of cancer?

Accepted Answer

Enhanced cellular differentiation

Question 2

A patient is found to have a mutation in the TP53 gene. Which of the following best describes the normal function of TP53?

Accepted Answer

It is a tumor suppressor gene that regulates the cell cycle and induces apoptosis.

Question 3

Which genome sequencing approach directly compares DNA from a patient’s tumor cells to DNA from their normal cells?

Accepted Answer

Paired approach

Question 4

A woman with a BRCA1 mutation has a significantly increased risk of developing which of the following cancers?

Accepted Answer

Breast and ovarian cancer

Question 5

Which of the following best describes the effect of an amplification mutation in a proto-oncogene?

Accepted Answer

Increased copy number leading to increased expression

Question 6

Which of the following statements about hereditary cancer is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

It is always associated with a clear pattern of inheritance in a family.

Question 7

A cancer cell is found to have a translocation that places a proto-oncogene under the control of a highly active promoter. What is the likely result?

Accepted Answer

Uncontrolled cell division

Question 8

Which of the following is a key difference between BRCA1 and BRCA2 in DNA repair?

Accepted Answer

BRCA1 acts in signaling/checkpoint control, while BRCA2 mediates the core repair mechanism.

Question 9

Which of the following best explains why tumors with strong driver mutations often respond uniformly to targeted therapy?

Accepted Answer

Driver mutations erase genetic heterogeneity in later tumor development.

Question 10

A patient’s tumor is found to have a high number of alternative splicing events compared to normal tissue. What is the most likely implication?

Accepted Answer

The tumor may have unique protein variants that could affect therapy response.

Question 11

Which of the following is a function of the P53 protein?

Accepted Answer

Acts as a transcription factor for over 900 genes involved in cell cycle and apoptosis

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the role of gene therapy in cancer treatment?

Accepted Answer

It can involve gene augmentation, gene suppression, or genome editing to correct or replace defective genes.

Question 13

A cancer patient’s genome is sequenced using a paired approach. Which equation best represents the comparison being made?

Accepted Answer

$$	ext{Tumor DNA} - 	ext{Normal DNA} = 	ext{Somatic Mutations}$$

Question 14

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the inheritance of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations?

Accepted Answer

They are commonly inherited in a germline fashion and increase cancer risk in families.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the effect of a loss-of-function mutation in a tumor suppressor gene?

Accepted Answer

It results in uncontrolled cell division due to loss of cell cycle regulation.

Question 16

Which of the following is a real-world application of precision medicine in cancer treatment?

Accepted Answer

Using the MSK-IMPACT test to match patients with targeted therapies based on their tumor’s genetic mutations.

Question 17

Which of the following structural variants is characterized by ‘shatter and stitch’ chromosomal rearrangements?

Accepted Answer

Chromothripsis

Question 18

A patient’s tumor is found to have a mutation hotspot in the DNA binding domain of TP53. What is the likely consequence?

Accepted Answer

Loss of cell cycle control and increased risk of metastasis

Question 19

Which of the following best explains why sporadic cancers are more common than hereditary cancers?

Accepted Answer

Most cancers arise from spontaneous mutations rather than inherited mutations.

Genetics of Cancer: Mechanisms, Genes, and Genomic Approaches

Study Guide - Practice Questions