Cancer Flashcards
How many different cells are in the body?
- All can give rise to cancer.
What is the most common cancer in humans?
Lung (40,000 in UK)
What is the most common cancer in females?
Breast (45,000 in UK)
What is the most common cancer in males?
Prostate (35,000 in UK)
What is the likelihood of developing cancer?
1 in 2
What are the main characteristics?
Uncontrollable growth- balance between division & differentiation disrupt AND balance between cell survival & apoptosis disrupt.
Lose sensitivity to contact inhibition growth- usually when form monolayer stop but cancer cells grow on top.
Invasion & metastasis common
Regarded as a disease of ageing
Define tumour
abnormal mass of cells, benign or malignant growth.
Define primary tumor
at initial growth site
Define secondary tumor
spreads to other tissues or organs
Define carcinogenesis
process by which normal cell transformed into malignant cell and divides to become cancer.
Define neoplasia
form of abnormal mass of proliferating cells possessing a significant degree of anatomy.
Define Anaplasia
lack of differentiation in neoplastic cell; seen as mass of pleomorphic primitive cells.
Define Aplasia
defective development resulting in absence of all or part of an organ or tissue.
Define metaplasia
One differentiated cell type changes into another mature differentiated cell type.
Define dysplasia
abnormal development, altering in size and shape of adult cell
Define hypoplasia
underdevelopment or incomplete development of tissue or organ
Define hyperplasia
cell response to specific stimulus, the proliferation of cells within an organ or tissue beyond normal; may result in gross enlargement of organ due to increase in cell size (not cell number).
Define hypertrophy
An increase in size of organ due to increase in cell size without increase in cell number.
Define atrophy
decrease in size of organ caused by disease.
Define benign
a growth expansion remaining localised. Slower and similar to tissue of origin, nuclei normal, cells uniform, solid tumour surrounded by cap, hormone secretion, cured by adequate local excision.
Define malignant
A growth infiltrated and metastasised by lymphatic, blood vessels and across tissue spaces. Faster and different to tissues of origin. Nuclei enlarged, abnormal mitotic features, cells variable in shape and size. Inappropriate hormone secretion and not cured by excision.
What are the causes of cancer?
Age
lifestyle- smoking, alcohol, UV radiation
genetics
Nitrosamines (pickled food and fermented fish)
Radon
What is an oncogene?
mutated form of protoncogene, usually dominant.
What occurs is there is a point mutation in a protoncogene?
Normal amount of hyperactive protein
What occurs if there are multiple copies in protoncogenes?
Excessive amount of normal protein
What occurs if there is a translocation in a protoncogene?
Excessive amount of normal protein