Why are people who have poor dna repair mechanisms at greater risk for cancer development? select one: a. their cancers are usually resistant to chemotherapy. b. they have greater exposure to environmental carcinogens. c. their somatic mutations are more likely to be permanent. d. they have sustained the initial "hit" in all cells and tissues?

The correct answer is C. Their somatic mutations are more likely to be permanent.

Somatic mutations are not inherited. Somatic mutations may occur in any of the body cells except the germ cells which are eggs and sperms. The alterations in somatic cells can sometimes lead to cancer or some other disease. These somatic cells play a crucial role in transforming the normal cells into cancerous cells. The cancer progression depends upon point and chromosomal mutations accumulation in the cellular lineage. The spreading of the somatic mutations depends on several factors such as rate of mutation, the history of the number of cell divisions of a cellular lineage and the competitive nature of different cellular lineages.