Hallmarks of Cancer CBCL 3 Flashcards
What features should we remember from the normal cervical tissue slide
The normal cervical tissue has a uniform epithelium layer. At higher magnification we can see that the epithelium is stratified squamous epithelium. The cells have increasing cytoplasm to nucleus ratio as they mature and go near the epithelial boundary.
This is why the cells at the basal epithelium appear darker.
What difference do you see in CIN (Cervix Intraepithelial Neoplasia)
The nuclei appear much darker in the stratified squamous epithelium. There is also increase in density of the cells as well as the cells show less cytoplasm, nuclei are larger and darker than normal
What do we see in Cervical SCC (Squamous Cell Carcinoma)
The cells have breached the basement membrane and they are invading the normal nearby cells. SCC is usually situated deeper in the tissue according to the slide that he showed to us and they are more eosinophilic (or pinkish). They have a characteristic experience marked by hyperchromasia.
What is another characteristic of Cervical SCC
Other types of carcinoma do not produce keratin
What are the 2 hallmarks of cancer
Proto oncogenes (tumor supressor genes) have to be evaded and oncogenes have to maintain proliferative signaling on a consistent basis
What are oncogenes
These genes lead to autonomous cell grwoth
Describe how an proto oncogene becomes an oncogene and how the oncoprotein changes
Mutation in a proto oncogene can lead to development of an oncogene. This gene makes oncoprotein that is different from protooncoprotein either in quality, quantity and/or function
How is an oncogene activated
It is activated by a GOF mutation. This requires to things:
- Change in structure
- Change in regulation of gene expression
What are the classes of oncogenes
- Growth factors
- Growth factor receptors
- Proteins involved in transduction
- Nuclear regulatory elements
- Cell cycle regulators which are CDKs and cyclins
What is the mechanism of action of oncogenes that act as growth receptors
They work in autocrine and paracrine loops (makes sense).
How does growth receptors work
By overexpression or mutation that makes them more active
What breast cancers have a poor clinical outcome? What is an effective therapy
HER-2 aplification breast cancers have a poor clinical outcome and they respond effectively to HER-2 therapy which is done by the drug called trastuzumab.
What type of breast cancer is caused by a faulty receptor
Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER-B2) causes breast cancer. HER-B2 is a member of a family of growth receptors
What proteins are invovled in cancer that are due to faulty signal trasnduction
- RAS proteins
- STAT/JAK proteins
- GTP binding proteins
- Non receptor tyrosine kinases
- NOTCH signal transduction
Which of these proteins are most common in casuing cancer
Mutations in the RAS proteins that beling to a family of G proteins