NEET2026BiologyChapterActual
Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding cancer and its characteristics?
Options
- ANormal cells exhibit contact inhibition, a property which is lost in cancer cells.
- BMalignant tumors are masses of proliferating neoplastic cells that remain confined to their original location.
- CNeoplastic cells actively divide and grow, starving the normal cells by competing for vital nutrients.
- DThe ability of tumor cells to reach distant sites through blood and form new tumors is called metastasis.
Correct answer
B. Malignant tumors are masses of proliferating neoplastic cells that remain confined to their original location.
Step-by-step solution
Normal cells show a property called contact inhibition by virtue of which contact with other cells inhibits their uncontrolled growth. Cancer cells appear to have lost this property. Tumors are of two types: benign and malignant. Benign tumors normally remain confined to their original location and do not spread to other parts of the body and cause little damage. The malignant tumors, on the other hand, are a mass of proliferating cells called neoplastic or tumor cells. These cells grow very rapidly, invading and d