intro to cancer Flashcards
what is cancer?
cancer is a large group of diseases that can start in almost any organ or tissue of the body
cells in a specific part of the body grow and repoduce uncontrollably
what can cancerous cells do to the surrounding tissues?
cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissue and spread to other areas
what does the make up of a cell look like?
cells have a nucleus with the same chromosomes (made from DNA sequences)
what is a gene?
A gene is a length of DNA, with instructions on how to make a particular protein
what do proteins do?
proteins have different functions, and allow cells to monitor their environment and change their behaviour
what causes proteins to change their behavior?
signals from neighboring cells
hormones
nutrients and oxygen
passing WBC
damage and stress
how does a normal cell become a cancer cell?
there is a fault in the chromosome which leads to a fault in the gene and a fault in the protein produced( protein dictates cell behavior)
what is the result of a faulty protein?
faulty protein could cause abnormal cell growth
where can cancer cells also spread?
in the blood supply or lymphatic system and other areas of the body
what are the 5 different types of cancer?
carcinoma
sarcoma
leukemia
lymphoma and myeloma
brain and spinal cord cancers
what is carcinoma?
*This cancer begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal
organs, eg. lining the oesophagus
what are the different subtypes of carcinoma?
There are many different subtypes: eg. adenocarcinoma, basal cell
carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma
what is the most common type of cancer?
carcinoma
can you have more than one type of carcinoma affecting each organ?
yes, Can have more than one type affecting each organ, eg. adenocarcinoma
(small cell lung cancer) and squamous cell carcinoma (non-sclc)
what is sarcoma?
this cancer begins in the connective or supportive tissues such as bone, cartilage, fat, muscle or blood vessels
what is leukaemia?
this is cancer of the leukocytes (WBC)
what is the most common type of cancer in children?
leukaemia
what is lymphoma and myeloma?
*Begins in the cells of the immune system, eg. in the lymph glands and
make up 5% of cancer cases
*Or begin in plasma cells (1% of cases)
what does the most common type of brain and spinal cord cancer develop from?
Most common type of brain cancer develops from gilal cells (glioma).
what is the difference between primary and secondary cancer?
primary- where the first mutation began
secondary- where it spread to
define metastasis
When abnormal cells grow uncontrollably
they can go beyond their usual boundaries to
invade adjoining parts of the body and/or
spread to other organs – this process is called
metastasis
what are some of the reasons why cancer cannot be cured?
Cancer cells evolve over time - chemotherapy may kill
most of the cells but leave small clusters which return at
a later date
*Dormant cells can remain in bone marrow, brain etc.
*Patient cannot tolerate treatment eg. elderly patients,
co-morbidity, adverse effects
what are the 3 routes of spread?
1- directly into surrounding tissues
2- bloodstream
3-lymphatic vessels
what are the most common sites for cancers to metastasize into?
brain, bones, lungs and liver
what are the current strategies to prevent metastasis?
–Adjuvant chemotherapy
–Hormonal therapies
–Prolonged treatment
–Screening and monitoring
what are the treatment options for metastatic disease?
–Surgery
–Aggressivechemotherapy / radiotherapy
–Biological therapies and monoclonal antibody treatment
–Low dosechemotherapy /
radiotherapy
–Symptom relief
what happens to a patient upon presentation to a specialist center?
*Diagnosis confirmed:
*MRI or CT
*Blood count
*Biopsy
what is the usual process for staging solid tumours?
TNM staging
–The T refers to the size and extent of the main
tumour (usually called the primary tumour)
–The N refers to the number of nearby lymph
nodes that have cancer
–The M refers to whether the cancer has
metastasised
how do we grade cancer?
*High grade
*Aggressive, likely to spread quickly
*High proportion of cells are multiplying
*Needs aggressive treatment
*Low grade
*Less aggressive, less like to grow/spread
quickly
*Low proportion of cells are multiplying
*Needs less aggressive treatment
what happens to the patient following diagnois?
*Patient’s case discussed at MDT and plan made for
initial treatment
*Patient’s height, weight and baseline parameters
recorded
*Patient then undergoes any additional scans or
tests that must be performed prior to treatment
how do we treat cancer?
*Surgery
*Radiotherapy
*Chemotherapy
what are the treatment aims?
*Curative
*Adjuvant / Neoadjuvant
*Palliative
