Cancer Evolution Practice. bio ch 12 Flashcards
- Someone you know has been diagnosed with skin cancer (basal-cell carcinoma) after a growth on your acquaintance’s skill was removed and determined to be a malignant tumor.
i. What did the Med. Lab. Science professionals notice the cells that identified them as being cancerous and not precancerous.
Cancerous cells are the ones that experience mutation with mitosis and cell-to-cell attachment. This results in reproduction with more cells dividing and moving to new places. Also can divide between 40 - 60 times.
- ii. Why did the physician remove the entire tumor and not just sample a small part? What was the risk if it was found to be benign? (It might have been benign.)
Physicians remove the entire tumor due to make sure there is less risk of a cancerous cell spreading and mutating into a different place.
- Your acquaintance also underwent chemotherapy treatment. As a result of the specific chemotherapy treatment, your acquaintance experienced side effects of hair loss, nausea & digestive difficulties, and immune suppression (associated with the prescription of a broad-spectrum antibiotic).
iii. Briefly, why do these specific side effects occur?
iv. After seeming to be cancer free for a year, the cancer returned. The same chemotherapy was ineffective. Briefly, what changed and how did it change?
Side effects of chemotherapy
- cancer cells are very similar to all other cells
- Makes the individual very tired and weak
- Possible hair loss
- Loss of body mass
If cancer returns and chemotherapy is ineffective the reason it came back is cause cancer cells are very similar to other cells making the treatment ineffective and other treatments like surgery would be an alternative treatment.
- v. After the cancer was unaffected by the second round of the same chemotherapy, your acquaintance underwent treatment with an immunotherapy drug followed immediately by two different chemotherapy drugs in combination with a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Briefly, why did the physician opt for using three therapies almost simultaneously?
Because their body is chemo resistant and in order for the individual to go back to chemo treatment they would have to try other methods of cancer treatment before they try chemotherapy again.
- vi. In consideration of the microbiome, the immunotherapy was done first (before the chemo- therapies, rather than after or simultaneously) Briefly, explain why?
The reason immunotherapy was done first before chemotherapy is that immunotherapy is mostly targeted towards immune B cells and it is better to leverage just in case chemo is not an effective treatment.
- Explain how cancer can be viewed in an evolutionary context. What evolutionary processes occur when cancer is developing into a life threatening disease?
Cancer is seen as an evolutionary threatening disease due to only germs cells reproducing more making them immortal.
- Explain how cancer cells can be said to be “locally” more fit in the context of the body but “globally” less fit in the context of the population of individuals.
If the mutations that favor the reproduction cell division produces more cells and with more mutation for mitosis it forms a larger and larger cell population.
- List how chemotherapy resistance in cancer cells is similar to antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
It’s similar to antibiotic resistance in bacteria because of natural selection.
- List how chemotherapy-resistance in cancer cells is different from antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
It’s different from antibiotic resistance in bateria because resistant cancer cells can be left over from chemotherapy making them come back.
- Based on 4 and 5 above, what does this suggest for how chemotherapeutics should be used to treat cancer.
We have to evolve the treatment in a way it can be more effective for the individual and make sure there is no cancer cells left over.
