12 TSGs in cancer

Question 1

What are most head and neck cancers driven by?

Answer 1

p53 mutation

Question 2

Name 3 risk factors for head and neck cancer

Answer 2

smoking
alcohol
poor dentition

Question 3

What is OPSCC?

Answer 3

oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Question 4

What is OPSCC driven by?

Answer 4

HPV

Question 5

What is HPV linked to?

Answer 5

oral sex

marijuana use

Question 6

How is overall survival in HPV+/- cancer patients affected if you give the radiotherapy or cisplatin?

Answer 6

no difference between + or -

Question 7

How is the prognosis for HPV+ and HPV - OPSCC different?

Answer 7

HPV+ 71% survival

HPV- 31% survival

Question 8

What is the difference in metastasis between HPV+ and HPV- cancers?

Answer 8

about the same incidence, although HPV+ tends to get them a bit later

Question 9

Uncontrolled activation of the MAPK pathway occurs in what percentage of thyroid cacners?

Answer 9

75%

Question 10

What are the 2 main types of thyroid cancers?

Answer 10

Papillary TC

Follicular TC

Question 11

Thyroid cancers with BRAF mutations are more likely to have

Answer 11

lymph metastases
distant metastases
advanced disease
recurrence

Question 12

What sort of thyroid cancer do you get with a p53 mutation?

Answer 12

anaplastic thyroid cancer

Question 13

How long do you have to live with anaplastic thyroid cacner?

Answer 13

2-3 months

Question 14

What cancers is a loss of function of PTEn associated with?

Answer 14

prostate
glioblastoma
endometrial
thyroid

Question 15

What is Cowden’s synrome?

Answer 15

AD multi-system disorder

Question 16

How might Cowden’s syndrome affect the thyroid?

Answer 16

goitre, adenomas, follicular thryoid cancer

Question 17

How might cowden’s syndrome affect the GIT?

Answer 17

polyps

Question 18

How might cowden’s syndrome affect the breasts?

Answer 18

benign and malignant tumours

Question 19

How might Cowden’s syndrome affect the female reproductive tract?

Answer 19

endometrial cancer and fibroids

Question 20

How might cowden’s syndrome affect the skin?

Answer 20

papillomas
pigmented lesions
trichilemmoma

Question 21

How might cowden’s syndrome affect the brain?

Answer 21

macrocephaly
ASD
cerebellar tumours

Question 22

is familial adenomatous polyposis AD or AR?

Answer 22

AD

Question 23

What is the genetic basis of familial adenomatous polyposis?

Answer 23

germline mutation in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene

80% on chromosome 5q

Question 24

Where might you see cancers associated with ‘chromosomal loss’ patterns?

Answer 24

left colon

Question 25

Where might you see cancers associated with ‘microsatellite instability’?

Answer 25

right colon

Question 26

What 3 key mutations are associated with melanoma?

Answer 26

BRAF mutation
CDKN2A loss
PTEN loss

Question 27

How would you classify melanoma?

Answer 27

cutaneous (non-chorionic sun-damaged skin, chorionic sun-damaged skin, acral lentiginous)

non-cutaneous (mucosal, ocular)

Question 28

Name 3 key molecular pathways associated with melanoma

Answer 28

NF1 - RA, BRAF and AKT -> proliferation

RB1 / CDK2A -> cell cycle control

MDM2 / TP53 -> apoptosis