Cells and Cancer Flashcards
What is homeostasis? Provide examples
When the cell is trying to stay “normal”; balance, equilibrium, normalcy
Examples: body temperature, salt (ion) concentration, pH, etc.
How does the body compensate during times of pathologic alteration?
Inflammation, fever, etc.
Difference between aerobic and anaerobic?
Aerobic requires oxygen, anaerobic does not require oxygen
Identify mechanisms of cellular injury
Mechanical injury (car accident)
Infectious injury (HIV or strep)
Ischemic WORSE (lack of blood flow) Hypoxia (lack of oxygen)
Chemical and radiation injury
Nutrient depletion
Oxidative stress, imbalance of free radicals
What is apoptosis?
Programmed cell death that doesn’t effect the whole body
What is necrosis?
When cells die but due to external circumstances (cell disease or injury); causes cells to spill out
How can cells adapt to stress?
Cells can adapt by increasing in size, amount, and type
What is atrophy?
When cells shrink
Example: arm in cast
What is hypertrophy?
When cells grow
Example: working out
(Think of the song trophy that you play when working out)
What is hyperplasia?
An increase in the number of cells
Example: glands of breast when breastfeeding
What is metaplasia?
A change in the type of cell
What is dysplasia?
Disorganized cell growth; can lead to cancer
What is the function and structure of DNA?
DNA contains information needed for cell structure and function; DNA is found in the nucleus, double-helix structure, bases are ATGC
What is epigenetics?
Study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way genes work
What is mutation?
DNA gene is damaged or changed; can occur spontaneously
What are the different types of mutations?
Substitution of one base pair for another
Loss or addition of one or more base pairs
Example: Cystic Fibrosis has 1 amino acid missing
Rearrangement of base pairs (Ex: sickle cell)
Germ cells (sperm and egg) - mutation can arise and can be inherited
How do cells undergo malignant trasnformation?
Dysplasia (disorganized growth) and neoplasia (new growth/increase in number of cells)
Heterogeneous mixture of cancer cells; proliferation (rapid increase in numbers) and mutation
Stroma - builds own environment
Repeated genes or chromosome breakages
What are the characteristics of cancerous cells?
Abnormal cells; grow rapidly
What are the mechanisms of metastasis?
The separation of the tumor from origin; invade other systems, organs, lymphatics
What are malignant tumors?
Rapid growth; not encapsulated; highly mitotic (increase in division); can spread/metastasize; poorly differentiated (lose look); invasive
What are benign tumors?
Slow growth; defined capsule; non invasive; differentiate (can change function/type); low mitotic index; does NOT metastasize
Can cause health problems
Names according to tissues in which they arise and includes -oma
What are tumor suppressors?
Decreased environment promotes an environment where cancer can form; decreased expression
Examples: BRACAI, BRACAII, p53 (most common), Rb
What are oncogenes?
Overactivity of genes involved in cell growth; mutant genes that in their non-mutant state, direct protein synthesis and cellular growth
Identify common oncogenes
Cell cycle proteins, point mutations (single base pair is added, deleted, or changed), chromosomal translocation (rearrangement), gene amplification (increase in number of copies of gene)
Role of tumor suppressor
Encode proteins that in a regular state negatively affect proliferation (fast production of cells); decreased expression can lead to an environment where cancer is promoted
Example: BRACAI, BRACAll, p53, Rb
Role of DNA repair genes
Regulate repair on damaged DNA
What role does heredity play in process of oncogenesis?
Mutations in genes that can be passed down from parents; these changes include growing and multiplying
What is paraneoplastic syndrome?
When cancer shows itself in places other than the site originally affected
What is the origin of paraneoplastic syndrome?
Thought to be immune mediated
What are the manifestations (signs/evidence) of paraneoplastic syndrome?
Amplification of hormones by cancer cells, production of circulating factors that cause issues with blood, neurological, dermatologic
Most commonly associated with breast, lung, and blood
What is angiogenesis and what is its importance?
Formation of new blood cells; cancer needs blood supply so angiogenesis is essentially new blood vessels that provide blood to tumors
What mechanisms lead to anorexia in patients with tumors?
Persistent inflammatory response in conjunction with production of specific cytokines and catabolic factors by tumor
What mechanisms lead to cachexia?
Severe form of malnutrition, hyper-catabolism (breaks down) and hypo-anabolism (grow and build)
What mechanisms lead to fatigue?
Side effect from cancer; early sign of malignant disease
Mechanisms that lead to anemia?
Related to blood loss, iron deficiency, hemolysis, impaired red blood cell production, side effects; treated with iron supplements
What is thrombocytopenia?
Increases risk for bleeding; platelet count is low
Process of metastasis
Cancer cells break away from original site, travel to new site, and form new tumors
1. proliferation
2. local invasion
3. intravasation (movement into wall of blood or lymph vessel)
4. dissemination (spreading widely)
5. extravasation (leakage)
6. colonization
7. proliferation
What mechanisms allow cancer to spread?
Lymphatic - cancer enters lymphatic system; tumor cells lodge first in initial lymph node that receives drainage from tumor site
Hematogenous spread - through capillaries and venules
Why is surgery used for cancer?
Used for diagnosis, staging of cancer, tumor removal, relief of symptoms
General principles of radiation
Can be used as primary treatment, can kill cells or damage nucleus, side effects include infection, bleeding, anemia due to loss of blood cells, nausea, vomiting
General principles of chemotherapy
Enables drugs to reach site of tumor; typically used for hematologic (blood) and some solid tumors, cellular resistance is an issue with chemotherapy, side effects include suppression of bone marrow function and formation of blood cells, anorexia, nausea, vomiting
General principles of immunotherapy
Increases immune response
Basic staging of cancer (4 stages)
Stage 1: confined to one area (organ or origin)
Stage 2: locally invasive
Stage 3: advanced to other regions of the body
Stage 4: Spread to distant sites
What are carcinogens?
Substance, organism, or agent capable of causing cancer
