A few decades ago, Knudsen and colleagues proposed a theory that, for a normal cell to become a cancer cell, a minimum of two genetic changes had to occur in that cell. Knudsen was studying retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer of the eye.
-Two children are born from the same parents. Child one inherits a predisposition to retinoblastoma (one of the mutations)and child two does not. However, both children develop the retinoblastoma. Which of the following would you expect?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Child one has already inherited one of the necessary mutations, so they only need one more genetic change to develop retinoblastoma. This means that they may develop the cancer at an earlier age compared to child two, who would need to acquire both mutations through random mutations or environmental factors.

A Few Decades Ago, Knudsen and Colleagues Proposed a Theory