AMC-HC 3 + 4: Multi-step & Maintainance Flashcards
dag 2
How long does it take for most cancers to develop? (rough estimation)
Years/decades
Because of the late onset of cancer, curing it averagely has a minor effect on ….
life expectancy
Risk of death to cancer
Incedence = age^4-7
> 5-8 independent events must occur for cancer to form
Transformation to some degree does always occur. True or False?
True, at a later age
It is possible for different tumor progression stages to …
Coexist in the same tissue
Which treatment most effectively reduces risk of disease with cancer?
Surgical removal of early-stage lesions (if detected early-stage)
Increasing neoplastic phenotypes correlate with ….
Increasing number of altered genetic loci
Tumour stimulating genetic alterations
Proto-oncogene activation and tumor-suppressor gene inactivation
The number of inactivated tumor suppressor genes </> (?) number of activated oncogenes in human tumor cell genome
>
Loss of heterozygosity (LOH)
Loss of one of the both alleles of a gene which can expose a faulty allele if it was masked (or the second allele was already broken) > losing the functionality of both alleles.
Only if the person was already heterozygous for the e.g. tumor suppressor gene (after a first hit)
Cancer cells often underwent multiple gene …
LOH
Chromosome translocation is a … for cancer
inducer
Why does a single mutation in a gene or loss or gain of function of the gene generically not lead to carcinogenesis?
The entire pathway of proliferation/growth/checkpoint is not effected (inactivated or overexpressed). Often, multiple gene routes can lead to a similar outcome (reaction pathways)
Why does tumor progression resemble evolution?
-Survival of the fittest
-Competition between cancer cells for limited resources
-The best adaptes cancercells survive and proliferate > advantageous traits.
-Clonal evolution > clonal expansion of the strongest cells after independent mutations
How does genome instability increase with tumor progression?
The mutation rates increase with tumor progression
Why do different subclones exist within the same tumor?
The selection can’t keep up with genetic diversification
How are distinct subclones able to coexist and help each other?
Costimulation with growth factors which they secrete (paracrine signaling and autocrine signaling)
Plasticity
the adaptability of an organism to changes in its environment or differences between its various habitats.
Which plasticity adds another layer of complexity to tumor progression?
Epigenetic plasticity
Transformation requires at least … mutant genes
2
> several thousand mutated ras oncogenes are created every day
> truly normal primary cells are resistant to single-hit transformations
Why are human fibroblast cells diffucult to transform?
Passaged human cells become senescent (non-proliferative)
Peto’s Paradox: The connection
Within one species, cancer risk and body size are positively correlated (more cell proliferation)
Peto’s Paradox: the counterpoint
Larger organisms have bigger and slowly dividing cells with a lower energy turnover which reduces the risk of cancer initiation.
> there are large differences between species
Mitogen
Enhances mitosis
Mutagen
Enhances mutations
Non-mutagenic or toxic agents which promote tumorigenesis
-Tabacco smoke > genotoxic chemicals > initiating agent
-Alcohol: weak mutagen but very toxic to epithelial cells > cells die > repair needed > causes proliferation and enhances risk of tumorigenesis
Mitogenic agents which promote tumorigenesis
-Steroid hormones promote cell growth > estrogen and progesterone stimulate proliferation of cells in reproductive tissue in menstrual cycle
The more mentrual cycles a female undergoes, the higher …
the risk of breast cancer (inducing cell proliferation)
Which kind of drugs reduce cancer risk?
Anti-inflammation drugs
Why is cell proliferation essential for tumor progression?
For increasing the number of mutations which the cells are carrying.
Why does cell proliferation (cell divisions) lead to new mutations?
DNA replications can lead to new mutations