Genetics of cancer

Question 1

which feature of cancer cells allows them to acquire new characteristics

Answer 1

genomic instability

Question 2

How is cancer commonly inherited

Answer 2

multifactorial inheritance

Question 3

Which type of mutation is most likely to directly activate an oncogene

Answer 3

A splice site mutation

Question 4

A healthy 42 year old woman who’s mother had bowel cancer at 75 but no other family history of cancer. What is the risk

Answer 4

Marginally above population risk

any family history of cancer marginally increases the risk

Question 5

cancer is a disease of mosaicism true/fale

Answer 5

True

largely caused by post-zygotic mutations - mutations for cancer often already present when they are born

Question 6

Key pathways for cancer mutations

Answer 6

DNA damage and repair genes

Question 7

DNA strand breaks in what mutation

Answer 7

BRCA1 BRCA2

Question 8

Stages of cancer cell developing

Answer 8

Proliferation
Invasion
Metastasis

Question 9

Characteristics needed for cells to evolve to cancer

Answer 9

genetic instability

Question 10

genes involved in cancer

Answer 10

oncogenes - switch on for cell division
tumour suppressors - switch on and they suppress cell devision
DNA repair genes - repair DNA damage
Drug metabolism

Question 11

Driver mutations

Answer 11

responsible for cancer phenotype in cells - drive characteristics of cancers

Question 12

cancers are homogenous true/false

Answer 12

false

different clones/cell lines within every cancer

Question 13

Knudson’s two hit hypothesis

Answer 13

Inherited mutation - first hit
acquired mutation - second hit

OR

acquired mutation - first hit
acquired mutation - second hit