Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Basic Pathology > Cancer > Flashcards

Cancer Flashcards

1
Q

cancer

A
  • uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells in the body
  • derived from Greek word for crab: karkinos
  • group of diseases
  • associated with altered genetic expression
  • can be fatal
  • invasive or metastasizing in nature
  • grows rapidly
  • angiogenic
  • anaplastic - undifferentiated
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

neoplasm

A
  • “new growth” or “tumor”
  • an uncontrolled growth of new cells
  • may be benign or malignant
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

benign

A
  • a neoplasm not capable of metastasizing
  • usually not capable of causing death
  • can cause illness (due to bulk effect)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

malignant

A
  • “cancer”
  • neoplasm capable of metastasizing
  • capable of causing death
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

leading cause of cancer death in men and women

A

lung

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

incidence of cancer increases with ____

A

age (77% of cancer diagnosed in people over 55)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

lifetime risk of developing cancer in the US

A

men- 1:2

women- 1:3

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

5-year survival rate for all cancers

A

67%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

many types of cancer are ____

  • 30% of cancer deaths will be caused by ____
  • 30% are related to ____
A

preventable;
tobacco use;
obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

other preventable causes of cancer

A
  • HPV: vaccine
  • HBV: vaccine
  • HIV: safe-sex practices, IV drug-use treatment, prophylactic meds
  • Helicobacter pylori: antibiotics
  • skin cancer: UV protection
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

cancer can effect ____ parts of the eye

A

all

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

~300,000 cases of ocular _____ each year; only 5-10% of ocular tumors are ____

A

malignancies;

primary to the eye (originate there)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

90-95% are metastatic to the eye; frequently spread to the _____

A

uvea (highly vascularized)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

most common cancers that spread to the eye

A

breast and lung

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

transformation from normal cells to cancer cell is a ____

A

years-long process

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

cancer cells gain ____ through mutation

A

autonomy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

autonomy

A

independence from normal cellular controls:

  • anchorage independent
  • immortal
  • evade apoptosis
  • angiogenic
  • self-stimulating
  • invasive
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

telomeres

A
  • protective caps on each chromosome
  • become smaller and smaller with each cell division
  • loss of telomeres= apoptosis
  • telomerase maintains telomeres in stem cells= immortality
  • telomerase is reactivated in cancer cells= immortality
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

non-cancerous cells are anchorage dependent, meaning they only proliferate when ____; cancer cells are ____

A

attached to a surface; anchorage independent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

normal cells exhibit contact inhibition, meaning they ____; cancer cells ___

A

stop dividing when they form a single layer; do not exhibit contact inhibition, and continue dividing and piling up on top of each other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

chronic inflammation creates a ______ environment due to ____

A

hyperproliferative;

cytokines (cell proliferation, angiogenesis), free radicals (DNA damage leads to DNA mutation)

22
Q

tumor= wound that ____

A

fails to heal

23
Q

cancer causes: 3 main mechanisms

A

1) chronic inflammation w/o infection (ex: autoimmune disease)
2) chronic infection w/ inflammation (ex: viral, bacterial, parasitic, fungal, etc.)
3) genetic mutations (inherited or environmental)

24
Q

external causes of cancer

A
  • toxins (workplace, cigarette smoke): DNA damage and/or inflammation
  • infections (bacteria, virus, parasite, fungus): DNA damage and/or chronic inflammation
  • radiation: DNA damage
25
internal causes of cancer
- hormonal imbalance (ex: breast, ovarian, colon): hyperproliferation - autoimmune disease: chronic inflammation - metabolic disorders: metabolic byproducts can have toxic effects
26
mutagens
chemical or physical agent that causes a change in the DNA of a cell
27
carcinogen/carcinogenesis
- any substance that contributes to the development of cancer - changes DNA or metabolic processes - causes nonlethal genetic damage**
28
two types of carcinogens
- initiator (causes genetic damage) | - promoter (promotes tumor growth)
29
things that are probably carcinogenic
- insecticides - cisplatin (chemotherapeutic agent) - nitrates or nitrites - hairdresser or barber (inhalants) - very hot beverages
30
things that are definitely carcinogenic
- plutonium (radioactive) - benzene (oxidation) - HPV - alcoholic beverages - tobacco smoke - tanning beds
31
infection by viruses: | -cause cancer by ____
- inserting genetic material into infected cells | - initiating a chronic inflammatory response
32
viruses associated with cancers
- hepatitis B and C viruses: hepatic cancer *cause 80% of all liver cancers - Epstein-Barr virus: Burkitt's lymphoma - herpes virus: Kaposi sarcoma - HPV: cervical cancer* - lymphoma virus: human T-cell leukemia
33
infection by bacteria
- helicobacter pylori - chronic infections = chronic inflammatory response - more likely with higher concentration of bacteria - associated with: peptic ulcer disease, stomach carcinoma, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas
34
proto-oncogene
- code for proteins that regulate cell growth and proliferation - normal and necessary - capable of becoming an oncogene with one mutation
35
oncogene
- can cause a cell to become a cancer cell - come from mutated proto-oncogene - growth/proliferation no longer regulated - over-active growth signals (ex: more receptors = more activity)
36
tumor suppressor genes
- slow down cell proliferation or induce apoptosis when cell damage is present ("anti-oncogenes") - mutation allows for unregulated growth by disabling TSG - both copies must be inactivated for progression of cancer
37
p53 tumor suppressor gene
- gene products inhibit the cell cycle - gene activated in presence of damaged DNA - proteins bind to damaged DNA and stall division - proteins can initiate apoptosis in the cell at high concentrations
38
most common type of tumor suppressor gene defect
p53; more than half of all types of human tumors lack functional p53
39
chemotherapy/radiation triggers ____; ineffective in ____
p53-mediated cell death (cause DNA damage on purpose which should trigger p53 to induce apoptosis); cancer cells lacking functional p53
40
point mutations
- changes in one base pair | - can be inherited or acquired
41
gene amplification
- duplication of a small piece of chromosome over and over | - can result in an increased expression of an oncogene
42
chromosome translocation (in somatic cells)
- piece of one chromosome is transferred to another | - leads to excess production of an abnormal protein or a novel protein
43
example of chromosome translocation
- chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome | - chromosomes 9 and 22= new protein that promotes growth of myeloid progenitor cells
44
caretaker genes
- maintain genetic integrity (aka. gene repair- review and correct any damage that occurs in DNA) - loss of these genes leads to increased mutations
45
chromosome instability
- increased in malignant cells | - occurs during mitosis
46
chromosome instability can lead to:
- chromsome loss - loss of heterozygosity - chromsome amplification
47
epigenetic mutation
- usually a normal process - causes: diet, stress, toxins - effects: inappropriate "gene silencing" - loss of silencing for oncogenes that leads to cancer
48
inappropriate gene silencing
- DNA methylation or histone modification | - abnormal silencing of tumor suppressor genes
49
hereditary cancer characteristics
- germ-line mutations (egg/sperm) - largely associated with tumor suppressor genes - rarely associated with oncogenes - usually heterozygous initially - at greater risk for cancer resulting from "loss of heterozygosity", or gene silencing
50
example of hereditary cancer
Retinoblastoma; approximately half are inherited
51
Retinoblastoma
- Rb1 gene codes for protein that suppresses cell growth - Rb1 gene mutated/deleted - most common primary intraocular malignant neoplasm of childhood - 5 year survival rate of 93% - Rb1 gene located on chromosome 13 - can be unilateral or bilateral - 75% of cases are unilateral - all bilateral cases are inherited - usually confined to eye (although it can spread)
52
clinical signs of retinoblastoma
- leukocoria (white pupil) - strabismus - loss of vision

Basic Pathology (21 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions