Aetiological Agents

Question 1

What cancer does EBV cause + what is the mechanism?

Answer 1

Burkitt’s lymphoma Non-Hodgkins lymphoma

Caused by EBNA (Nuclear Antigens) = an 8:14 translocation on chromosome 8 becomes controlled by chromosome 14

Question 2

What cancer does radiation commonly cause?

Answer 2

Leukaemias

Question 3

Examples of genetic cancers

Answer 3

Neurofibromatosis

Adenomatous polyposis coli

Familial breast cancer (BRCA)

Von-Hippel lindau syndrome

Question 4

Which gene was identified in Li-Fraumeni syndrome?

Answer 4

p53

Question 5

What cancers do the following chemicals cause: aromatic amines, benzenes, wood dust, vinyl chloride?

Answer 5

Cigarettes = p53 tumour suppressor gene

Aromatic amines = bladder cancer

Benzene = leukaemia

Wood dust = nasal adenocarcinoma

Vinyl chloride = angiosarcomas

Question 6

What diets cause cancer?

Answer 6

Low fibre = colorectal

Smoked food = gastric cancer

Question 7

How does Hep B cause cancer?

Answer 7

Infection associated with hepatocellular cancer

Question 8

What cancer is caused by retroviruses?

Answer 8

HTLV1 infection = T cell lymphoma

Question 9

What cancer does H pylori cause?

Answer 9

Mucosal associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) tumours