Exam #02 (Anticancer Chemotherapeutic Agents) Flashcards
This term is defined as a disease characterized by a shift in the control mechanisms that govern cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation.
Cancer
What three characteristics define cells that have undergone neoplastic transformation?
Neoplasm = uncontrolled growth of abnormal tissue; tumor
- Immaturity (cells display cell surface antigens typical of young cells)
- Chromosomal abnormalities (amplified gene sequences and translocations)
- Excessive proliferation (forms tumors)
Why are cancer cells difficult for the immune system to recognize?
b/c they’re derived from normal cells expressing the same glycoproteins and therefore difficult to kill
Which cell type is defined as a small subpopulation of cells within the tumor that retains the ability to undergo repeated cycles of proliferation as well as to migrate to distant sites in the body?
tumor stem cells
What is the process of tumor cells migrating to distant sites in the body to colonize various organs called?
metastasis
True or False - tumor stem cells are genetically unstable?
True - their genetic instability leads to progressive selection of subclones that have a better chance of survival in a multicellular environment
True or False - cancer is the most common cause of death from disease in the US?
True (>500,000 deaths in 2005)
What % of patients initially diagnosed with cancer can be cured?
50%
Chemotherapy is able to cure _______% of all cancer patients?
10-15%
The comparative disorganized tissue architecture of tumors points towards cancer being a disease of ____________?
malfunctioning cells - tumors are disorganized mess of cells that grow faster than normal cells and form tumors
Which malignant tumor comes from epithelial tissue?
carcinomas (responsible for 80% of cancer-related deaths)
Which type of carcinoma comes from epithelial cells forming a protective cell layer?
squamous cell carcinoma
Which type of carcinoma comes from epithelial cells that are secreting substances into the ducts or cavities they line?
adenocarcinomas
Which malignant tumor comes from connective tissue?
sarcomas
Hematopoietic cancers come from cells of which (2) body systems? Give (2) examples of hematopoietic cancers?
froms cells of the CIRCULATORY and IMMUNE system
- lymphomas
- leukemias
Neuroectodermal tumors come from components of the nervous system. Name (2) examples of neuroectodermal tumors?
- glioma
2. astrocytoma
Name the (7) characteristics of malignant cells?
- freedom from contact inhibition
- secrete angiogenic factors (stimulates growth of blood vessels to support tumor)
- fast multipliers
- invasive growth
- relatively unaffected by immune system
- metastatic growth
- genetically labile (sloppy replication can be advantage i.e. drug resistance)
Most human cancers arise from carcinogens that act as mutagens, mutating normal genes that regulate homeostasis and growth into _______?
oncogenes
True or False - oncogenes can act across species?
True
True or False - oncogenes can arise in the genome of cells independently of viral infections?
True
Explain the role of tumor suppressor genes against errors in DNA synthesis and genetic damage. What happens if an error is found?
tumor suppressor genes check the integrity of the DNA before division.
If DNA is compromised, tumor suppressor genes initiates the cell to undergo apoptosis destroying the cell and DNA
True or False - apoptosis may be initiated if there is an inappropriate advance in cell cycle (loss of tumor suppressors, viral infection, oncogene activation)?
True