Self-Assessment Questions (SAQs) for Study Session 4

Now that you have completed this study session, you can assess how well you have achieved its Learning Outcomes by answering these questions. Write your answers in your Study Diary and discuss them with your Tutor at the next Study Support Meeting. You can check your answers with the Notes on the Self-Assessment Questions at the end of this Module.

SAQ 3.1 (tests Learning Outcomes 3.1 and 3.2)

Which of the following statements is false? In each case, explain what is incorrect.

A  More people die from cancer in the world every year than from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

B  Benign tumours are not generally life-threatening.

C  Malignant tumours are life-threatening because they spread and cause damage to organs and tissues all over the body.

D  Cancer cells are normal cells growing in the wrong place.

E  Cancer cells can multiply uncontrollably by repeated cell divisions.

F  Cancer cells ‘self-destruct’ when they get too old or develop abnormal features.

Answer

A is true. More people die from cancer worldwide every year than from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

B is true. Benign tumours are not generally life-threatening.

C is true. Malignant tumours are life-threatening because they spread and cause damage to organs and tissues all over the body.

D is false. Cancer cells are growing in the wrong place, but they are not normal cells – there are many differences (e.g. see the answer to E below).

E is true. Cancer cells can multiply uncontrollably by repeated cell divisions.

F is false. Cancer cells survive for many cell divisions because they do not ‘self-destruct’; normal cells do self-destruct when they get too old or develop abnormal features.

SAQ 3.2 (tests Learning Outcomes 3.1 and 3.2)

Suppose you are invited to give a talk about cancers in a school in your village. You want to begin by describing what cancer cells are, using words that children will understand. What will you say?

Answer

We don’t know exactly what words you would use, but you might say that normal cells increase their numbers by dividing into two cells, and then these two cells each divide again, so there are four cells, and so on. Usually normal cells can only do this a few times before they become too old and stop dividing. Cancer cells, on the other hand, can go on increasing in number by dividing into two cells, then four cells, and so on, without any control.

SAQ 3.3 (tests Learning Outcome 3.2)

Which of the following is a symptom of cancer? Explain your answer.

  • a.Fever
  • b.Cough
  • c.Missing menstrual periods
  • d.All of the above
  • e.None of the above

Answer

d. is the correct answer. Cancers don’t have characteristic symptoms that indicate a cancer diagnosis. The symptoms depend on where the cancer is growing in the body and can easily be confused with the symptoms of other chronic diseases or conditions like misses menstrual periods.

SAQ 3.4 (tests Learning Outcomes 3.1 and 3.3)

Mr Abera is a 65-year-old man, who used to be a farmer, but now he doesn’t go out into the fields very often. He has smoked cigarettes for the last 25 years, he drinks alcohol almost every day, and he likes to eat a lot of fatty meat. His body mass index (BMI) is 33 (look back at Figure 2.7 in Study Session 2).

  • a.What risk factors do you observe in Mr Abera's lifestyle that increase his chances of developing cancer?
  • b.What advice will you give Mr Abera to decrease his risk factors?

Answer

  • a.Mr Abera has a lot of cancer risk factors: very little exercise, smoking cigarettes, fatty diet, high alcohol consumption and he is obese (BMI = 33).
  • b.You should advise Mr Abera to stop smoking, reduce his alcohol consumption, stop eating fatty foods and switch to eating more vegetables, fruits, peas, beans and whole grains, take more exercise, and lose weight.

SAQ 3.5 (tests Learning Outcomes 3.1 and 3.4)

What advice would you give to women who ask you about the best ways to reduce their chance of dying from breast cancer?

Answer

There is no clear cause of breast cancer that women can avoid, but it is associated with obesity and excessive drinking of alcohol, so you should advise women to avoid alcohol and becoming overweight. Early detection and treatment of breast cancer reduces the chance that women will die from the disease. The best method of early detection is regular breast self-examination to check for lumps or other abnormalities and seeking treatment if anything suspicious is found. If the facilities exist in your locality, then screening women aged over 45 years by mammography every two or three years can detect breast cancers very early.

SAQ 3.6 (tests Learning Outcomes 3.1 and 3.5)

  • a.How could you help to support the spiritual needs of a cancer patient who is terminally ill in your community?
  • b.What other features of palliative care could help the patient and his or her family?

Answer

  • a.A good example of supporting the spiritual needs of a terminally ill patient would be to organise a meeting with family members and religious leaders or spiritual advisers at the patient’s home. It can be very comforting and uplifting to join in a religious service or blessing according to the beliefs of the family and the ill person.
  • b.Other aspects of palliative care involve managing the patient’s symptoms (e.g. pain, nausea), helping to make him or her comfortable, assisting the family with practical matters, listening to their worries, and helping the sick person and family members to come to terms with the inevitable death and the grief that follows.

Summary of Study Session 3