Ch. 18 Cancer Flashcards
What is benign?
just beginning to accumulate mutations, not considered cancer cells yet, haven’t migrated or spread out in surrounding tissue yet.
What is malignant?
cancer cells move around, can get to blood supply then move to whole body
What is cell division based on?
growth factors and transcription factors
What ensures that certain requirements are met before cell division can proceed?
Cell cycle checkpoints
What turns back on in cancer cells allowing them to extend?
telomerase
What are oncogenes?
cause cancer when turned on
What are tumor suppressor genes?
make sure the cell cycle is proceeding at the appropriate rate for that cell, may lead to cancer if deleted or inactivated
What mutation occurs in the egg/sperm and is inherited?
germline mutation
what mutation can’t be inherited?
somatic
What are the 4 cyclins in the cell cycle?
G1, G1/S, S, M
What are cyclins?
proteins to help get through phases of cell cycle; make when needed and destroyed when done with them
What is CDK?
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase
What is kinase?
attach phosphate to something
what is a specific neurons for muscles, bones, etc called?
differentiation
In what phases inhibits the cell cycle until DNA can be repaired?
S, G1, G2
What are some characteristics of cancer cells?
less adherent, loss of cell cycle control, heritable, transplantable, dedifferentiated, lack contact inhibition, induce local blood vessel formation (angiogensis), invasive, increased mutation rate, metastatic
t/f Proto-oncogenes are required for normal cell division.
true
what happens if an oncogene becomes activated?
causes cancer by producing growth factors in tissues where growth is not needed; inhibits apoptosis
how does activation of oncogenes occur?
due to point mutation, translocation, inversion, viruses
What is the most common reason why activation occurs?
when a pro to-oncogene is moved to a region where transcription is more frequent
what triggers apoptosis in damanged cells?
p53
What happens if p53 is functioning normally?
helps to monitor cell to go through each checkpoint; if cell is damaged p53 will help cell repair damage or pause cell to break down the cyclins until damage is repaired properly. if can’t repair, triggers apoptosis
What happens if p53 is silenced?
damaged DNA is allowed to replicate; leads to cancer
what does BRCA1/BRCA2 do?
codes for proteins that will help p53
what happens if BRCA1/BRCA2 is damaged?
not there to help p53 to stabilize DNA or help repair
t/f anieuploidy will turn on gene.
turn off
When do cells become cancerous?
when oncogenes are turned on or tumor suppressor genes turned off
What may be turned off due to a deletion, which silences the gene, or due to excessive methylation?
tumor suppressors
Why is cell contact important?
keeps tissue from falling apart
what are some characteristics of Cadherins?
calcium dependent adherents, transmembrane protein (portions on inside/outside)
what is cadherins become mutated?
cells lose their contact, this happens in cancer cells; cells then lose their shape to allow cells to become metastatic
what is angiogensis?
formation of new blood vessels
how does angiogenesis occur?
when cancer cells releases growth factors, VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor, hypoxia, MMP
what is MMP?
matrix metalloproteinases; normally used to breakdwon extracellular matrix where cancer cells use them to allow blood vessels to reach tumor
what prevents angiogenesis?
Interleukins
what prevents cells from becoming cancerous and angiogenesis?
interferons
If a cell becomes infected, interferons will do what?
warn neighboring cells to protect themselves usually with p53.
What are the most common secondary locations and what will happen?
bone- breaking for no reason
liver- jaundice
lungs- chest pain, cough, SOB
What does VEGF do?
inhibits growth factors to make new blood vessels so cancer will not be able to develop a greater blood supply to become metastatic
how do you detect and diagnose breast cancer?
monthly self breast exams for lumps, abnormalities, redness, scaly, or flaky or discharge; most common in ducts; mammograms, biopsy of lump
what is the cause of breast cancer?
BRCA1/BRCA2 genes mutated (one need on gene, if both more aggressive); just because have mutation doesn’t mean cancer will develop and not having a mutation doesn’t mean you won’t get cancer
what is the treatment for breast cancer?
radiation, chemotherapy, mastectomy, lumpectomy, hormone therapy
what is the goal of radiation in breast cancer?
target an area using x-rays to destroy the tumor but the other cells in the area are often destroyed
what is the goal of chemotherapy in breast cancer?
target cells that divide rapidly and is non specific
what is the prognosis for breast cancer in 10 years?
88% survival rate
stage 0 in breast cancer
small in size, noninvasive
stage 1 for breast cancer
invasive (spreading to other parts of breast), 2 cm or less in size if one lump; 22 mm or less if many lumps
stage 2 of breast cancer
2-2.5 cm if one; 5 mm if many; has spread to 1-3 axillary lymph nodes
stage 3 of breast cancer
greater than 5 cm, spread to 4-9 axillary lymph nodes
stage 4 of breast cancer
completely metastatic (anywhere in body), no longer regional
how do you detect cervical cancer and diagnose it?
pap smear, LEEP (suspicious cells removed), HPV detection test
what is the cause of cervical cancer?
gene mutation, HPV, and adenocarcinomas
what are adenocarcinomas?
influence the glands around squamous cells
what treats cervical cancer?
based on what is affected, remove cervix, hysterectomy, or ovaries
what is the prognosis for cervical cancer for the stages?
1- 92%
2&3- 56%
4- 17%
stage 1 for cervical cancer
cancer cells are localized to the cervix
stage 2 of cervical cancer
cancer cells are in cervix and uterus (regional)
stage 3 of cervical cancer
cancer cells are in cervix, uterus, pelvis, and in lower vagina
stage 4 of cervical cancer
metastatic; bladder, rectum, all other parts of body
how to detect and diagnose prostate cancer?
urination problems, rectal/prostate exam, PSA, ultrasound, biopsy
what is PSA?
prostate specific antigen; will be higher in a male who may have cancer, more severe the tumor, the higher the concentration
what is the cause of prostate cancer?
no specific gene but family hx plays role, 55+, A.A., enlarged prostate
what is the treatment for prostate cancer?
based on what stage its in, can remove prostate, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy
why does hormone therapy treat prostate cancer?
tumor requires testosterone, so may remove testes
what is the prognosis of prostate cancer in 10 years and 15 years?
10- 93%
15- 77%
stage 1 of prostate cancer
one side of prostate
stage 2 of prostate cancer
entire prostate-both sides
stage 3 of prostate cancer
regional- seminal vesicles
stage 4 of prostate cancer
no longer regional, spread to other body parts
what causes skin cancer?
uv rays, squamous cells, basal cells, melanocytes
how to treat skin cancer?
a- asymmetry b- border c- color d- diameter e- evolution lazers
what is the prognosis of skin cancer in 5 years?
100%
stage 0 of skin cancer
epidermis, benign
stage 1 of skin cancer
less than 2 cm
stage 2 of skin cancer
greater than 2 cm
stage 3 of skin cancer
greater than 3 cm and begins to spread to other areas, still regional
stage 4 of skin cancer
metastatic
how to detect and diagnose pancreatic cancer?
CA 19-9: protein released from cancerous cells, but can have false positive or negative; explorative surgery
what is the cause of pancreatic cancer?
no specific gene, typically from mutations
how to treat pancreatic cancer?
removal of pancreas and other digestive organs like gallbladder
what is the prognosis of the stages in pancreatic cancer?
1: 12-14%
2: 5-7%
3: 3%
4: 1%
likely to reoccur if any cancer cells were left behind
stage 1 of pancreatic cancer
pancreas
stage 2 of pancreatic cancer
nearby organs- liver, spleen, stomach, gallbladder
stage 3 of pancreatic cancer
lymph nodes, blood
stage 4 of pancreatic cancer
not uncommon to find tumors within the peritoneum (abdominal cavity)
