Cancer Flashcards
What is cancer?
When abnormal cells divide in uncontrolled way
How does a tumour form?
When gene changes make cells and it begins to multiply too much forming a growth
Primary tumour
Site where cancer starts
Secondary tumour
Cancer spreads to another part of body
Benign tumour
Usually slow growing and doesn’t spread to other parts of the body. Main issue if it grows too big as it can be painful, release hormones or press on organs
Malignant tumour
Made up of cancer cells which grow faster and spread into surrounding tissue and lymph nodes/bloodstream
What is angiogenesis
Tumour sends out signals called antigenic factors which encourage new blood vessels to grow into tumour. Tumour can’t grow without this.
anti angiogenic drugs
Stop cancers growing their own blood vessels meaning they stop growing or shrink it
How faulty genes lead to cancer
Mutations in genes means cells no longer understand instructions to destroy faulty cells. This means they can divide and multiply which forms tumour
Risk factors faulty genes leading to cancer
-smoking
-radiation
-sun radiation
-some foods
-chemicals
-genetics
TNM: T
Size of cancer
TNM: N
Whether cancer has spread to lymph nodes
TNM: M
Whether cancer has spread to another part of body
How many stages of cancer?
4
Cancer grade
Indicates how cancer behaves. Low grade means slow growing and less spreading
Impact of SACT treatment on blood cells
Can lower white, red cells and platelets in blood. This is as they mature in bone marrow. SACT treatments sometimes slow down this production.
SACT impact on immune system
White blood cells made in bone marrow, which treatment might be slowing down so less of them
Neutropenic sepsis
Whole body reaction to infection. Low level of neutrophils and infection at same time
Vesicant
Highly reactive chemical that when react with body’s tissue causes cellular changes and damage skin.
How does chemo work?
Kills fast growing cells to eliminate cancer cells. Can also affect hair, cells that line gut and bone marrow cells
Cytotoxic
Toxic to cells
Neo-adjuvant
Chemo, radio or hormone therapy given before surgery to shrink tumour
Adjuvant
Treatment given after surgery to mop up cells
Palliative care
Therapeutic treatment to slow down cancer and reduce side effects
Immunotherapy
Treatments that use the immune system to find and attack cancer cells. Cancer cells can hide from immune system so these treatments “uncloak” them. Example of this is checkpoint inhibitors.
Carcinomas
Cells in external and internal body surfaces e.g lungs, breast
Sarcomas
Cancer cells in supporting tissue (fat, connective tissue, muscle, bone)
Lymphomas
Cancer of immune cells
Leukaemia
Cancer of white cells and bone marrow
Most common cancer in men
Prostate
Most common cancer women
Breast
Most common cancer men and women
Lung
Proliferation
The ability of the cell to copy and divide
Differentiation
The ability of the cell to look like its parent cell. Tumour cells which look more like parent cells grow slower. Undifferentiated cells tend to be more aggressive.
Carcinogens
Things which can cause cancer, such as tobacco smoke, pollution
Gene which can cause cancer
BRACA l/ll
4 characteristics cancer
No differentiation
Proliferation
Metastasis
Invade normal cells
How is cancer diagnosed?
History
Physical exam
X ray
CT scan
PET scan
Biopsy
Blood tests
