Cancer and Molecular Methods Flashcards
List the five most common cancers in Ireland, in descending order.
Non-melanoma
Prostate
Breast
Bowel
Lung
Most common cancers in males are non-melanoma, prostate, bowel, _______, melanoma, and testicular cancer.
Lung
Most common female cancers are non-melanoma, breast, ______, lung, melanoma, and gynae cancers.
Bowel
____________ cells divide repeatedly, out of control, and therefore crowd out normal cells, and they function abnormally.
Cancerous
List four known carcinogens.
Ionising radiation, such as x-rays and UV light
Chemicals, such as cigarette tar
Viral infections, such as HPV
Hereditary dispositions (cancer cannot be inherited, but families may have predispositions)
What two classes of genes lead to cancer when mutations occur in them?
Oncogenes and tumour-suppressor genes
True or false: cells that are old or malfunctioning normally self-destruct, and are replaced by new cells.
True
DNA damage, in the form of mutations, is caused by __________.
Mutagens
Describe carcinomas.
The begin in the skin or tissue, and usually form solid tumours. They are the most common form of cancer. Examples include prostate, lung, colon, etc.
Where do sarcoma cancers begin?
Tissues that support and connect the body
True or false: sarcomas cannot develop in fat, muscle, nerve, tendons, etc..
False
_______________ occurs when healthy blood cells change and grow uncontrollably.
Leukaemia
_______ tumours do not spread from their site of origin, but can crowd out (squash) surrounding cells, e.g., brain tumour, warts, etc..
Benign
Malignant tumours can spread from the original site and cause secondary tumours, in a phenomenon known as ___________.
Metastasis
A cancer diagnosis pathway in pathology involves macroscopy, microscopy (routine H&E staining, and ______________) as well as molecular testing.
Immunohistochemistry
________ ______ compares the size, shape, and other characteristics to those of healthy cells.
Histologic grade
A tumour with cells that look more like healthy cells is called _____ _________ or well differentiated, and is often associated with a better prognosis, or chance of recovery.
Low grade
_______ rate details how often the cancer cells are dividing.
Mitotic
If the tumour has invaded the blood vessels or lymph vessels that flow into the ________ ______, there is a greater chance that the cancer has metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body.
Lymph nodes
‘Targeted’ therapies (precision medicine) are used where _______ __________ ________ identify subgroups of tumours, which may or may not respond to novel drug treatments.
Specific molecular markers
List two methods used in molecular techniques.
DNA/RNA and protein methods
All molecular techniques must fulfil stringent accreditation requirements, and must be ___________.
Affordable
_____________ of the pre-analytical workflow is important, to support downstream analysis.
Optimisation
List three other considerations of molecular techniques.
Minimisation of wastage, to maximise utility of tissues and specimens
Training
Recording and reporting of results