Exam 3 Flashcards
Cancer
A group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cellular growth and spread to surrounding tissues. We used to focus on removing cancer cells as a treatment, but now we focus on targeting where the mutations occur.
Tumor
Term used to describe abnormal growth
Benign tumor
Abnormal growth, not malignant
Does not form metastasis
Does not invade adjacent normal tissue
May have symptoms related to size and location
Malignant tumor
Abnormal growth that invades surrounding tissues
May metastasize to other areas of the body.
You should describe cancer by
histology and site of origin
An important consideration in some cancers is
the degree of differentiation of cancer cells.
Well differentiated= more mature= less evasive
Cancer is caused by
alterations or mutations in oncogenes, tumor-suppressor genes and microRNA genes.
A single genetic change is rarely sufficient for the development of cancer.
Somatic mutations
Mutations in cancer cell.
Germline mutations
Mutations in all of our cells passed through genetics.
Next gen sequencing
Use to determine mutations, driver mutations, and driver mutations with drug targets.
Genetic mutations may cause cancer cells to
overexpress certain cell receptors which cause cell proliferation.
Example- HER2 in breast cancer
Genetic mutations in cancer cells may modify
signaling pathways for key cellular functions including cell proliferation, survival, invasion.
Mutations of cellular pathways drive
cancer cell proliferation
Metastases
Refers to the spread of cancer cells from a primary site of cancer to another part of the body.
When a cancer cell metastasized, the cells in the metastatic site are often similar to the cells in the primary site of the cancer.
Imaging for metastatic disease may include
CT scans
PET scans
MRI
PET scans are more sensitive in most tissues and show the metabolism of glucose.
