ch11: cancer epidemiology, manifestations, and treatment

Question 1

ecogenetics

Answer 1

study of how environment can affect the development of cancer

Question 2

xenobiotics

Answer 2

compounds that don’t exist naturally in the environment, is artificially made by people

Question 3

carcinogens

Answer 3

substance that can cuase cancer

Question 4

what are some examples of carcinogens

Answer 4

• tobacco use
• ionizing radiation
• non-ionizing radiation
• electromagnetic fields (EMF)
• air pollution
• obesity
• alcohol consuption
• sexual behaviors

Question 5

ionizing radiation

Answer 5

harsher, shorter length higher frequencies (x-rays, gamma)

- extensive damage to DNA if exposed many times

Question 6

air pollution

Answer 6

lots of xenobiotic compounds, can be combustion products → can generate something that wouldn’t have be generated naturally

Question 7

alcohol consumption

Answer 7

inflammation in stomach/esophageal linked to cancer

Question 8

sexual behaviors

Answer 8

STI (usually HPV) link to cancer

Question 9

what are clinical manifestations of cancer

Answer 9

• pain
• fatigue
• cachexia
• early dietary satiety
• anemia
• leukopenia
• thrombocytopenia
• increase incidence of infections
• paraneoplastic syndromes

Question 10

paraneoplastic syndromes

Answer 10

catch all category of things you experience when you have cancer (sequelae)

Question 11

t/f: chemotherapy has a great selective toxicity

Answer 11

false

Question 12

single agent chemotherapy

Answer 12

using one drug

Question 13

combination chemotherapy

Answer 13

more than one drug

Question 14

principle of dose intensity

Answer 14

the more of the drug you take, the stronger the effect

Question 15

therapeutic index

Answer 15

window of intended effects (therapeutic dose) and toxic side effects (toxic dose)

Question 16

primary (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy

Answer 16

administer chemotherapy drug first before surgical extraction of tumor

Question 17

antimitotics

Answer 17

most common; inhibit mitosis and targets rapidly dividing cells –> loss of hair, dry skin, anemic, immunocompromised, fatigued

Question 18

antiangiogenics

Answer 18

prevent formation of blood vessels (tumors release angiogenic factors for themselves → antiangiogenics administered → starve tumor)

Question 19

radiation

Answer 19

targeted radiation to target cells in tumors, lots of effects on healthy tissue near tumor (xray, gamma) usually IONIZING RADIATION

Question 20

what type of radiation is used to target tumor cells?

Answer 20

ionizing radiation

Question 21

surgery and “margins”

Answer 21

edges of “hole” where tumor was removed → doctors check margins for cancerous cells left over

Good prognosis = “margins are clean”

Question 22

hormonal therapy

Answer 22

depending on type of tumor; if agents naturally down regulate division

Question 23

immunotherapy

Answer 23

T cells can naturally target cancer cells

Question 24

iatrogenic metastasis

Answer 24

surgically remove tumor OR treatment → accidentally spread throughout body throughout process of treating a cancer