Cancer Flashcards
What are cancer cells?
Dysfunctional cells that do not respond to extracellular/intracellular signals that control cellular growth and death
Which process do cancer cells evade?
Apoptosis
What occurs during the later phase of cancer?
Cells traverse through typical tissue boundaries and metastasize to new sites.
Which two classes of enzymes are responsible for intercellular signaling?
Cyclins and protein kinases
Which molecular cascade results in the promotion of transcription factors?
RAF-MERK-Erk cascade
Which types of genes encode for growth factor receptors?
Proto-oncogenes
Which types of genes become superactive within cancer cells?
Due to direct mutations of various genes that control cell proliferation. Growth promoting genes (protoncogenes) become super-active and produce cells that are strongly stimulated by growth receptors.
Which of the main type of genes are inactivated within cancer cells?
Tumour-suppressor genes
Which common tumor suppressor gene is inactivated?
p53
Why does an acquired mutation results in cancerous changes?
Acquired mutation can result in a growth advantage, that increased cellular proliferation and mitotic division compared to a normal cell- offspring outperforms non-cancerous counterparts in the competition for resources
The second mutation May provide the cancer cell with a reproductive advantage-intensifies competitive advantage.
Omitted checkpoints and suppressed repair genes contribute to the rate of damage accumulation
What are benign tumours?
Tumors are confined within the normal boundaries of tissues
What is a malignant tumour?
Tumour gains the ability to break through the specific tissue boundary and invasively adjoin to neighboring tissues.
Which types of enzymes are secreted by malignant cancer cells?
Proteases, enabling the degradation of the extracellular matrix at a tissue boundary
Proteases form a pathway for cancer cells to traverse (break down cell junctions and adhesive proteins)
What is metastasis?
Cancerous cells enter circulation or the lymphatic system, traveling to a new location of the body, beginning to divide and establish the foundation of new secondary tumour formation.
N.B: Cancer cells must have the ability to penetrate normal barriers of the body to enter and leave the blood/lymph vessels
What is cancer?
Cance is unchecked cell growth directed by genic mutations that cause cancer by accelerating cell division rates or inhibiting normal controls on the system (cell cycle arrest or apoptosis)
Mass of cancer cells can develop into a tumour
Malignancy occurs when cancer cells become invasive and invade adjacent tissues
Secondary tumours form during metastasis
Which types of drugs can be used to treat cancer?
Chemotherapy drugs: Counteract by blocking the action of growth signaling proteins
What is the mechanism of Herceptin?
Blocks over-active receptor tyrosinase kinases (RTKs)
What is the mechanism of Gleevec?
Bocks a mutant signaling kinase
What are the two main types of tumours?
Benign
Malignant