Cancer Flashcards by Celina Moretta

Define neoplasia

New growth

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What cellular components is cancer associated with?

Abnormal cellular gene expression

Cellular proliferation and differentiation

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Is a benign tumor still cancer?

Yes- because it is an abnormality of cell growth

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What determines if a cancer is benign or malignant?

Histology

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What type cancer normally invades adjacent tissues?

Malignant

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What is anaplasia?

A lack of differentiated features

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The more anaplastic a cell is the more….

Malignant

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Why does tumor necrosis happen in malignant cancers?

Cell divisions happen so fast that the new cells surrond the old cells and block O2 and nutrients

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-oma means

benign tumor

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what are two names for malignant tumors?

Carcinoma and sarcoma

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What type of malignant tumor has an epithelial origin?

Carcinoma

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What type malignant tumor has a mesenchymal origin?

Sarcoma

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What is an adenoma?

Benign tumor of glandular tissue

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90% of cancer are what type of origin?

Epithelial (carcinoma)

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Why can tumor cells divide so fast and keep dividing?

Proliferate despite lack of growth signals
Ignore death signals
Have telomerase
Lose anchorage dependence
Don't have density dependent inhibition

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What is a proto-oncogene?

Component of cell growth activating pathways

Normal functioning gene form

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What is the cancer-associated form of an proto-oncogene?

Oncogene

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What are the 4 categories of oncogenes?

Growth factors
Receptors
Cytoplasmic signaling molecules
Nuclear transcription factors

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What is a small peptide secreted into extracellular space?

Growth factor

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What does an oncogene do to growth factors?

Secrete more growth factors

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What do growth factor receptors do?

Transmit growth factor into target

What does an oncogene do to a growth factor receptor?

Allow for expression of absent receptors

Allows receptors to respond w/o growth factor

What does an oncogene do to a cytoplasmic signaling pathway?

Manufactures excess or abnormal components of growth cascades
may signal the cascade w/o receptor input

What is Ras?

A G protein involving in cytoplasmic signaling pathways.

Mutations to this cause persistent activity

What is a transcription factor?

Something that triggers the cell to go to S phase

What does an oncogene do to transcription factors?

Overproduces them, or losses the regulation

What are some common proto-oncogenes involved with transcription factors ?

Myc, jun, fos

What are four basic ways a protooncogene turns into an oncogene?

1. Retrovirus introduces oncogene 2. Proto-oncogene suffers mutation 3. DNA sequence that regulates proto-oncogene expression is damaged/ lost 4. Error in chromosome replication- extra copies of proto-oncogene

What do tumor suppressor genes do?

Inhibit tumor proliferation; loss of function may lead to tumor development

What does Rb gene do?

Codes for nuclear pRB protein

what does the nuclear pRB protein do?

Blocks cell division by binding Transcription factors to inhibit transcription of genes that initate cell cycles

When will the nuclear pRB protein release Tfs?

When it is highly posphorylated

What does the P53 gene do?

Inhibits cell cycle (at G1) by binding to damaged DNA and preventing replication; can trigger apoptosis

What happens when there is a lack of or abnormal p53 gene?

genetically damaged cells divide--> tumors

A mutation in what gene causes an 85x high risk of cancer?

BRCA1

What are the three steps of carcinogenesis?

Initiation Promotion Progression

What does Ras do?

Makes it so cancer cells aren't anchorage dependent

What does Myc do?

Causes immortality by turning on telomerase

Is one genetic mistake enough to cause carcinogeneiss?

No- multiple are usually needed along with Ras and Myc

WHat happens in initiation?

Mutations activate proto-oncogenes and inactivate tumor suppressor

What is a carcinogen?

Agents that promote initiation

What is promotion?

Where mutant cell proliferates | Transition due to another mutation (hormones can help)

What is progression?

When proliferating cells begin to exhibit malignant behavior

What is metastasis?

When cancer cells escape tissue of origin and initiate new colonies in distant tissues

How do cancer cells metastasize?

Move through basement membrane of blood of lymph vessel and through extracellular space and repeat this pattern in a new tissue

What is angiogenesis?

Growth of blood vessels, allows tumor to grow >2 mm, later stage of metastasis

What is VEGF?

Vascular endothelial growth factor, produced in response to hypoxia by tumor cells

What tells you the histology and degree of anaplasia?

Grading

What tells you the location and pattern of spread of the tumor?

Staging

What is the TNM system?

Tumor, node, metastasis

What is cachexia?

Wasting within the body, effect of cancer | overall weight loss and generalized weakness

What are paraneoplastic syndromes?

Symptom complexes not explained by tumor properties; ex- cushing syndrome and hyponatremia caused by small cell carcinomas