Practice Question
What process helps cancer cells invade and spread to other parts of the body?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
enzyme secretion
Rationale:
🧬Cancer cells secrete proteolytic enzymes (e.g., matrix metalloproteinases—MMP-2, MMP-9) that degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM) and basement membrane, creating physical pathways for invasion.
🧬By dissolving type IV collagen, laminin, and fibronectin, these enzymes remove mechanical barriers, enabling tumor cells to intravasate into blood/lymph vessels and extravasate at distant sites.
🧬Enzyme secretion also releases ECM-bound growth factors and exposes cryptic adhesion sites, further promoting motility and survival of malignant cells.
🧬This proteolysis works in tandem with epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and altered cell adhesion, but the direct tool of tissue penetration is enzyme-mediated ECM breakdown.
🧬Clinically, high MMP activity correlates with aggressiveness, metastasis, and poor prognosis, and is a target of anti-metastatic therapies.
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This question is from ☑️ NR412-EXAM4 which contains 50 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: Examplify Exam(s)
- Domain: Pathophysiology
- Answer Choices: 4