AGenerating tumors
BMetastasis
CContact inhibition
DBoth (A) and (B)
Answer:
C. Contact inhibition
Read Explanation:
Contact Inhibition: Normal cells in a tissue culture demonstrate a property called 'contact inhibition.' When cells grow and come into contact with neighboring cells, they stop dividing. This serves as a vital regulatory mechanism to prevent overgrowth.
Loss of Contact Inhibition: A hallmark of malignant (cancerous) transformation is the loss of contact inhibition. Cancer cells fail to recognize neighboring cells and continue to divide uncontrollably, often piling up on top of one another to form a mass or tumor.
Uncontrolled Proliferation: Cancer cells have acquired mutations in genes that regulate the cell cycle (such as tumor suppressor genes like p53 or proto-oncogenes), which leads to unregulated cell division regardless of external signals or physical proximity to other cells.
Apoptosis Resistance: Unlike normal cells, which undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis) if they are damaged or become redundant, cancer cells often evade these death signals, allowing them to survive and proliferate indefinitely.
Metastasis: Cancer cells exhibit the ability to detach from their original site and migrate through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to form secondary tumors in other parts of the body, a process fundamentally different from the behavior of healthy, localized tissue cells.