3. Understanding Disease Mechanisms: Cancer

Question 1

Malignant tumors

Answer 1

they invade other sites

Question 2

Metastatic

Answer 2

The spread of cancer cells from the place where they first formed to another part of the body

Question 3

How can cancer spread from a tumour

Answer 3

-cancer breaks through the basement membrane & spread to other parks of the body

Question 4

Growth control in a normal cell

Answer 4

Resting state
Grow now?
Active growth machinery
Grow
Stop now?
Activate stop machinery
Stop

Question 5

Growth of Cancer 1

Answer 5

constantly growing independently

Question 6

Growth of Cancer 2

Answer 6

“stop” machinery/ proteins are affected

Question 7

Cancer is a group of over____ different diseases with slightly different mechanisms

Answer 7

100

Question 8

How to we organize cancer?

Answer 8

• Tissue/organ of origin (breast cancer, brain cancer)
  
  • Mechanism of growth dysregulation “driver”
  • Which pathways have lost control?

Question 9

How did the control mechanisms get dysregulated?

Answer 9

• Mutations are common in cancers
• Mistakes in genetic information can occur
• These mutations are differences in base pairs of DNA

Question 10

Invasion of Cancer

Answer 10

Cancer cells invade surrounding tissues and blood vessels & are transported by the circulatory system to distant cities

Question 11

Metastasis

Answer 11

Cancer cells invade and grow at new location

Question 12

Benign Tumors

Answer 12

not cancer
- tumor cells grow only locally and cannot spread by invasion or metastasis

Question 13

Malignant

Answer 13

cancer
- cells invade neighboring tissues enter blood vessels and travel

Question 14

Oncogenes

Answer 14

(Abnormal cell growth)
A mutated (changed) form of a type of gene called a proto-oncogene, which is involved in normal cell growth and division. When a proto-oncogene is changed so that too many copies are made or it becomes more active than normal, it is called an oncogene

Question 15

Hallmarks of Cancer REEAIS

Answer 15

1. Sustaining proliferative signaling
   
   2. Evading growth suppressors
   3. Activation invasion & metastasis
   4. Enabling replicative immortality
   5. Inducing angiogenesis (making new blood cells)
      
      6. Resisting cell death

Question 16

Why is cancer considered a genetic disease?

Answer 16

because it frequently involves genetic changes
(Direct heritability of cancer is low)

Question 17

Cancer

Answer 17

a disease of dysregulated growth control

Question 18

Example of cell signal: activates an _________ that breaks down a large _______

Answer 18

enzyme

molecule

Question 19

Example of cell signal: directs a ______ to with the ___________ and release its contents to the outside of the cell

Answer 19

Vesicle

plasma membrane

Question 20

Example of a cell signal: directs ______molecules to assemble into a filament allowing the cell to change ______

Answer 20

actin

shape

Question 21

Example of a cell signal: A carrier _______ delivers a signal to a ______ where it can enter the nucleus and turn a gene on or off

Answer 21

protein

nuclear pore

Question 22

Cancer cell growth driven by _________, cell _____________ signaling in the _________ of external signal

Answer 22

oncogenes

Proliferation

absence

Question 23

Inherited gene mutations

Answer 23

are present in the egg or sperm cell that formed the child.
- this kind of mutation is in every cell (including eggs or sperm) and so can be passed on to the next generation

Question 24

Acquired (somatic) mutation

Answer 24

does not come from a parent, but is acquired some time later
- It starts in one cell, and then is passed on to any new cells that are created from that cell.
- Not passed on to next generation
- Acquired mutations are much more common than inherited mutations

Question 25

Targeted Cancer Therapy

Answer 25

• Aimed at proteins that are only in cancer cells (unique), or that are far more abundant in cancer cells than normal cells

Question 26

chemotherapy

Answer 26

• Race to kill cancer cells, but not normal cells of the body
  
  • “One treatment for all patients”
  • Interfere with DNA replication
  • None of these drugs are cancer specific
  • They kill quickly dividing cells
  • Side effects of chemotherapy
  • rapidly dividing normal cells
    (E.g. bone marrow or gut)

Question 27

Cytotoxic

Answer 27

cell-killing

Question 28

Biopsy

Answer 28

to obtain a sample/specimen

Question 29

“Druggable” target proteins

Answer 29

A protein that does have such a pocket can be considered “druggable”

Question 30

White Blood Cells

Answer 30

• located in blood and lymphatic system
  Role:
• attack viruses and bacteria
  can also attack cancer cell
• (main component of immune system)

Question 31

T cells

Answer 31

• Can bind foreign peptides
• Some types of T cells destroy (kill) foreign
  entities such as viruses

Question 32

B. Cells

Answer 32

Have the ability to create antibodies, which bind specifically to surfaces of foreign cells (eg microbes)

Question 33

3 ways cancer cells can avoid being destroyed by our immune systems

Answer 33

1. can not be sensed by our immune system
2. might have proteins that turn off our immune cells
3. The effect might be indirect –change the healthy cells in the tissue around the tumour.

Question 34

In humans, many kinds of receptors are located in the __________

Answer 34

cell membrane