Cancer Biology Flashcards
Define apoptosis
Programmed cell death, effectors of apoptosis are caspases
Define necrosis
Traumatic cell death e.g. in frostbite or CVA
Define hypertrophy
An increase in the size of a tissue caused by an increase in the size of constituent cells.
Define hyperplasia
An increase in the size of a tissue caused by an increase in the number of the constituent cells.
Define atrophy
A decrease in the size of a tissue caused by a decrease in the number of constituent cells or a decrease in their size.
Define metaplasia
A change in differentiation of a cell from one fully differentiated type to a different fully-differentiated type.
Give some examples of metaplasia
Barrett’s oesophagus, losing cilia in the bronchi of the lungs of a smoker
Define dysplasia
An imprecise term for the morphological changes seen in cells in the progression to becoming cancer.
It is sometimes used to refer to a developmental abnormality.
What is conventional chemotherapy good for?
Fast dividing tumours such as germ cell tumours of the testis, acute leukaemias, lymphomas, embryonal paediatric tumours and choriocarcinomas.
What is conventional chemotherapy selective for?
Fast replicating cells including hair, bone marrow, gut lining and cancer cells. It is not selective for tumour cells.
What is the difference between targeted chemotherapy and conventional chemotherapy?
Targeted chemotherapy exploits some differences between cancer cells and normal cells. It it more effective and has less side effects.
Name two different types of targeted chemotherapy.
Monoclonal antibodies e.g. Herceptin against the HER2 receptor.
Small molecular inhibitors e.g. Cetuximab against EGFR or Gleevec which inhibits c-kit tyrosine kinase.
What does invasion and metastasis of the basement membrane involve?
Cell motility and proteases: Matrix metalloproteinases Collagenase Cathepsin D Urokinase-type plasminogen activator
What are the routes of metastasis?
Direct Via lymphatics Transcoelomic - through a body cavity CNS spread Field change - when several sites are exposed to the same carcinogen leading to multiple primaries Via the bloodstream
What is carcinogenesis?
The transformation of normal, differentiated cells to neoplastic cells through permanent genetic mutations.
