Cancer Flashcards
What is cancer?
Cancer is an uncontrolled proliferation of cells that can arise from any cell type in the body. This occurs when normal cell division controls are not working.
What is the inital stage of cancer identified as?
Dysplasia - this is when there are abnormal cells within a tissue or organ but these cells are not yet cancerous
What type of condition is cancer?
A genetic condition
How does cancer occur in the body?
Cells can mutate, which is usually picked up on normal cellular mechanisms causing these cells to die. When cancer occurs, it is a failure of these mechanisms.
What does the term ‘malignant’ mean?
the word malignant is used to describe harmful masses or tumors that are cancerous and that grow and spread disease.
What does metastasise mean?
Metastasis is a pathogenic agent’s spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host’s body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor.
What are benign tumours?
Benign tumors are those that stay in their primary location without invading other sites of the body. They tend to grow slowly.
How are cancers classified (named)?
By the tissue that they arrise from
What type of tissue does ‘Carcinoma’ arise from?
Epithelial tissue (tissue of surfaces and linings in the body)
What type of tissue does ‘Adenocarcinoma’ arise from?
Glandular or ductal epithelium
(glandular tissue is commonly found in the breast, lung, stomach, colon, pancreas, prostate, uterus, and cervix and ductal epithelium is found in the breast)
What type of tissue does ‘lymphoma’ arise from?
Lymphatic tissue
(lymphatic tissue are cells and organs that make up the lymphatic system, such as white blood cells (leukocytes), bone marrow, and the thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes.)
What type of tissue does ‘leukaemia’ arise from?
Blood tissue
What type of tissue does ‘sarcoma’ arise from?
Connective tissue
Tissue that supports, protects, and gives structure to other tissues and organs in the body
What type of tissue does ‘myeloma’ arise from?
Plasma tissue
What are the 6 common signs and symptoms of cancer?
Unexplained weight loss Oedema or a lump Unusual bleeding (vagina/bowel ect) Persistent cough or fever Changes to a wart or mole Pain
What are 7 common risk factors for cancer?
Smoking High Alcohol Consumption Radiation Nutrition - low fibre, high red meat intake Obesity Occupational hazards Air pollution
What is chemotherapy?
non-selective cytotoxic medications that act on rapidly reproducing/diving cells in the body
What are cytotoxic medications?
Cytotoxic drugs (sometimes known as antineoplastics) describe a group of medicines that contain chemicals which are toxic to cells, preventing their replication or growth, and so are used to treat cancer.
Whats a negative to using chemotherapy?
not just the cancerous cells are affected. Rapidly dividing normal cells are effected resulting in unwanted effects such as loss of hair.
What is radiation therapy?
A therapy used to reduce the cancer cell growth without damaging surrounding tissue (is delivered externally or internally via implant)
Is radiation therapy used in a curative way or a palliative way.
It can be used for both - to reduce the tumor size and to reduce pain.
What is generally involved in surgery for cancer?
The removal of an entire tumor or a part of it - reducing a part of it would be effective for chemotherapy. Surgery can also be used for palliative care to relieve symptoms or slow tumor growth, delaying onset of symptoms.
What is hormone therapy?
Therapy which blocks tumors that are hormone dependant - these are usuall;y cancers in the reproductive organs
What is immunotherapy?
Stimulation of the bodys immune system
What is gene therapy?
Where genetic material is put into cancerous cells in order to replace missing or damaged genes.
What is neoadjuvant treatment?
Treatment given as a first step to shrink a tumor before the main treatment, which is usually surgery, is given. For example, having chemotherapy prior to surgery
What is Adjuvant treatment?
When you receive treatment such as chemotherapy after having a surgery
What is palliative care?
End of life care for individuals and their whanau when the cancer (and other conditions) is life limiting
What is palliative care concerned with?
The quality of life not the length of time left
