Cancer Flashcards
What is an oncogene
Genes that code for proteins that regulate cellular growth processes
What are tumour suppressor genes
Genes that stop mutations
What are dna repair genes
Mutations that result in reduced repair of damaged DNA which can predispose an individual to developing a tumour
What is a metastasis
The spread and invasion of a tumour from the original state
What are tumour markers
Macromolecules which are produced by a tumour
What are functions of tumour markers
Screening
Diagnosis
Prognosis and treatment
Detecting relapse
What effects are there to therapy? (3)
1- tumour lysis syndrome which leads to hyperkalaemia, hyperphosphataemia and hyperuricemia
2- gonadal dysfunction
3- chemotherapeutic agents can cause renal failure and drug induced nausea and vomiting
What is sensitivity
The ability of a test to correctly identify patients who have a disease
What is specificity
The ability of a test to correctly identify patients who do not have a disease
What is the ideal tumour marker
- good clinical sensitivity
- good clinical specificity
- 100% organ specificity
- responds rapidly to changes in the tumour size
What are general tumour markers
Analytes that have a role in identifying or monitoring the progression of a tumour but aren’t specific to a particular tumour
What does calcium show
Hypercalcaemia in malignancy
What does ESR show
High ESR may suggest inflammation and possible infiltration of tissues
What does LDH show
Indicator of cellular/tissue damage
What does beta 2 macroglobulin show
And indicator of severity and spread of multiple myeloma
