Ann's doctor is worried enough to send her to a breast cancer specialist, just to be safe. Ann makes an appointment and is referred for a mammogram, which will image the soft tissue in the breast. After the mammogram and an exam, she meets with the surgeon, Dr. Hernandez. Dr. Hernandez is also concerned, as she felt and has images from the mammogram of a small tumor. She recommends a biopsy of the tumor as soon as possible. Ann goes in the same day for the quick surgical procedure where a needle is inserted and part of the tumor is taken for analysis. The tumor will be analyzed by a pathologist, a specialist in looking for disease in tissue samples.
1. The pathologist examines the cells taken from the tumor, particularly the number of cells in mitosis. Below are the results. In normal breast cells, one would expect 0-4 cells per 10 high-powered field of view (microscopy) undergoing mitosis.
Cell Cycle Stage Number of Tumor Cells in 10 High-Power Fields
Interphase 120
Prophase 7
Metaphase 2
Anaphase 10
Telophase 0
Based on the above results, what can you conclude about the tumor cells? Can you say definitively that they are cancerous? Be sure to support your answer with the data above.