Cancer

Question 1

What are the 6 key features of tumour cells?

Answer 1

Sustained angiogenesis, self-sufficiency in growth signals, insensitivity to anti-growth signals, evasion of apoptosis, limitless replicative potential, tissue invasion and metastasis

Question 2

What is an example of tumour cells acquiring the ability to sustain angiogenesis?

Answer 2

The ability to secrete VEGF

Question 3

What is an example of tumour cells evading apoptosis?

Answer 3

The ability to maintain high levels of BCL-2 which has an anti-apoptotic effect

Question 4

How do tumour cells gain the ability to have limitless replicative potential?

Answer 4

Gaining the ability to make telomerase

Question 5

How do tumuor cells gain the ability to undergo tissue invasion and metastasis?

Answer 5

Gaining the ability to make MMP

Question 6

Why do most cancers occur more commonly with advanced age?

Answer 6

The DNA of a cell must take several hits in order to gain all the 6 properties in cancer, these mutations take time to occur resulting in most cancers occuring later in life

Question 7

How do DNA hits induce cancer?

Answer 7

Many cells are hit but only a few survive this hit with a growth advantage over other cells, these cells proliferate and will eventually develop the further hits to cause cancer

Question 8

What is an oncogene?

Answer 8

Genes which have increased activity in cancer and are derived from proto-oncogenes