Cancer Cell Biology Flashcards
What is metastasis?
The spreading of relentlessly dividng cells from one part of the body to another.
What are cancer cells?
cells that divide relentlessly forming solid tumors or flooding the blood with abnormal cells.
When cancer was discovered, what was it called? why?
“Crab” or “crayfish” because from the appearance,
the veins stretched on all sides as the animal the crab has its feet”
At first is was thought that cancer was made up of what? What is it actually made out of?
It was thought that cancer is made up of lymph. Now it is known that it is made up of cells.
Which continent has the greatest incident of cancer?
Asia
What are the different types of cancer cells?
carcinoma
leukaemia
lymphoma
myeloma
sarcoma
central nervous system
mesothelioma
What are carcinoma cancer cells?
the majority of cancer cells are epithelial in origin (beginning in the membrane tissues that line the surfaces of the body).
What are leukaemia cancer cells?
originate in the tissues responsible for producing new blood cells (most commonly in the bone marrow).
What are lymphoma cancer cells? What is a different name for them?
Lymphoma = myeloma
- derived from cells of the immune system.
What are sarcoma cancer cells?
originating in connective tissue, including fat, muscle and bone.
What are central nervous system cancer cells?
derived from cells of the brain and spinal cord.
What are mesothelioma cancer cells?
originating in the mesothelium (lining of body cavities).
How does the blood of a leukemic compare to the blood of a healthy person?
normal blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
leukemia cells outnumber normal cells in leukemia.
What are the six essential alterations that dictate malignant growth?
1) self-suficcieny of growth signals
2) insensitivity to growth-inhibitory signals
3) evasion of apoptosis
4) potential for limitless replication
5) angiogenesis
6) invasion and metasis
In cancer cells, why do cells start to rapidly divide?
cells become unresponsive to normal growth controls.
Explain the major features of cancer cells.
- large, variable shaped nuclei
- variation in shape and size
- disorganised arrangement
- loss of normal specialized features
- large number of dividing cells
- poorly defined oundris between cells
What is the process called of the formation of a tumor?
tumorigenesis
What are the three main steps of tumorigenesis?
1) initiation
2) promotion
3) progression
What causes cancer cells to proliferate in response to external signals?
alterations in signal transduction pathways.
What allows for unregulated cell growth?
mutations and alterations of the cell cycle.
What is the name of normal cellular genes that contribute to cancer?
oncogenes
How many oncogenes have been discovered?
around 100
What is apoptosis?
the genetically regulated program to dispose cells.
What is the growth of tumour mass dependent on?
- an increase in proliferation of tumour cells
- decrease in apoptotic rate
What is autophagy?
It is the major cellular pathway for protein and organelle turnover. It is a mechanism for the delvery of cellular materials to lysosomes for degredation.
What process helps maintain a balance between anabolism and catabolism for normal cell growth and development?
autophagy
How is autophagy related to cancer?
involved in the elimination of cancer by triggering a non apoptotic cell death program (suggesting a negative role in tumour development.
Is autophagy a possible cancer treatment?
yes
What is a feature of malignant cells?
their ability to invade the surrounding normal tissue.
What is in situ cancer?
tumours in which malignant cells appear to lie exclusively above the basement membrane
What is invasive cancer?
tumours in which malignant cells are demonstrated to breach teh basement membrane, penetrating into the stroma.
What does a cancers ability to invade involve?
changes in adhesion, initiation of motility and proteolysis of the extracellular matrix.
What is angiogenesis?
the establishment of new blood vessels from a preexisting vascular bed.
angiogenesis allows for tumour growth and metasis.
What are the steps of metastasis?
1) primary cancer cells develop access through either the blood circulatory system or the lymphatic system
2) cancer cells are shed into the circulation
3) circulating cells lodge into a new organ and extravasate into the new tissue
4) cells must initiate growth and establish vascularization to sustain the new tumour.
What is the name of the particular substances that are linked to specific types of cancers?
carcinogens
State some carcinogen examples.
- tobacco
- diet and excersize
- infection (eg. epstein-Barr virus)
- radiation (ultraviolet)
- hereditary
- hormones (insulin like growth hormones, (sex related cancers))
How can cancer be managed?
- surgery
- radiation therapy
- chemotherapy
- immunotherapy
- targeted therapy
- hormone therapy
- stem cell transplant
- precision medicine
What is immunotherapy?
type of treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer.
What is targeted therapy?
type of treatment that targets the changes in cancer cells that help them grow, divide and spread.
What is hormone therapy?
type of treatment that slows or stops the growth of breast and prostate cancers that use hormones to grow.
What is stem cell transplant?
procedures that restore blood-forming stem cells in cancer patients who have had their stem cells destroyed by very high doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
What is precision medicine?
helps doctors select treatments that are most likely to help patients based on genetic understanding of their disease.
What measures prevent cancers?
- limited tobacco use
- increased physical activity
- controlled weight
- improved diet
- limited alcohol
- safer sex practices
- routine cancer screening tests
- avoided excess exposure to the sun
