Cancer Genetics

Question 1

Benign

Answer 1

mass of well-differentiated cells that grows slowly and lacks the ability to invade nearby tissue or metastasises

Question 2

Malignant

Answer 2

not self-limited in its growth - able to escape apoptosis and produce new blood cells - poorly differentiated cells and capable of invasion and metastasis

Question 3

Causes of cancer

Answer 3

Genetics
Environmental
Exogenous

Question 4

How does cancer evade apoptosis

Answer 4

Immunotherapy

Question 5

Somatic mutations

Answer 5

Occur in non germ line tissues
Not heritable

Question 6

Germline

Answer 6

Present in egg and sperm
Heritable affects every cell in offspring

Question 7

Passenger

Answer 7

Have no effect and don’t cause cancer

Question 8

Driver

Answer 8

Can cause mutations

Question 9

Oncogene

Answer 9

Gene with potential to cause cancer
A proto oncogene with driver mutations is called an oncogene

Question 10

Proto oncogenes

Answer 10

Promotes cellular proliferation under physiological conditions
Driver mutation can cause camcer

Question 11

Oncogene example

Answer 11

ras
Myc
BCR-ABL

Question 12

Tumor suppressor genes

Answer 12

A gene that regulates a cell during cell division and replication
Prevents abnormal proliferation

Question 13

Tumor suppressor gene examples

Answer 13

Rb1
TP53
MEN-1
BR A%1/BRCA-2

Question 14

Knudson hypothesis

Answer 14

Tumor suppressor genes need both alleles to be inactivated to cause a ohenotypic change

Question 15

Tumor heterogeneity

Answer 15

Different tumiur cells can show distinct morphological and phenotypic profiles
Occurs between tumors *inter tumor heterogeneity)
Occurs within tumors (intra tumor heterogeneity)

Question 16

Hallmarks of cancer

Answer 16

• Self sufficiency in growth signals
  
  • Activate H-Ras oncogene
• Insensitivity to anti-growth signals
  
  • Lose retinoblastoma supressor
• Evade apoptosis
  
  • Produce IGF survival factors
• Have limitless replicative potential
  
  • Turn on telomerase
• Sustained angiogenesis
  
  • Produce VEGF inducer
• Be capable of tissue invasion and metastasis
  
  • Inactivate E-cadherin