Ploidy
By
Cancer Council NSW
Ploidy refers to the number of chromosome pairs in a cell.
Normal human somatic cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes, known as diploid cells. Human germ cells (eggs and sperm) only have a single set of 23 chromosomes, known as haploid cells.
Cells that have either more, or less, than the normal 23 pairs of chromosomes are known as aneuploid cells.
Most cancer cells are aneuploid and it’s rare for a normal cell to have aneuploidy. See also chromosome.
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