Gastrointestinal Cancers

Question 1

What are the 6 hallamarks of cancer?

Answer 1

1. evasion of apoptosis
2. self sufficiency in growth signals
3. insensitivity to anti-growth signals
4. tissue invasion and metastasis
5. limitless replicative potential
6. sustained angiogenesis

Question 2

What are the two types of oesophageal cancer?

Answer 2

adenocarcinoma
- GORD –> barrets metaplasia –> dysplasia –> cancer
squamous cell carcinoma

Question 3

What is the aetiology of oesophageal adenocarcinoma?

What are the risk factors?

Answer 3

gender, age, reflux, LOS relaxing drugs, obesity, H-pylori, fruit and vegetables, anti-oxidants

Question 4

What is the most important risk factor for gastric cancers?

Answer 4

helicobacter pylori

Question 5

What does H.Pylori do in the antrum vs corpus?

What is the treatment?

Answer 5

Antrum
- hypergastrinaemia and duodenal ulcers

Corpus
- hypochlorhydria and gastric ulcers

Triple therapy
- amoxicillin, clarithromycin, PPI

Question 6

What is hereditary diffuse gastric cancer?

What surpasses E-cadherin?

Answer 6

Cases by germline mutation in CDH1 gene
This is a zip that holds cells together
E-cadherin deficient tumours are more invasive
snail and slug

Question 7

What are the risk factors for colorectal cancer?

Answer 7

high iron - meat and fish
low fibre
obesity
alchohol
low physical activity

Question 8

What are the 2 types of colorectal cancer?

Answer 8

sporadic

familial e.g Familial adenomatous polyposis coli