intro to cancer

Question 1

what is cancer?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

what can cancerous cells do to the surrounding tissues?

Answer 2

cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissue and spread to other areas

Question 3

what does the make up of a cell look like?

Answer 3

cells have a nucleus with the same chromosomes (made from DNA sequences)

Question 4

what is a gene?

Answer 4

A gene is a length of DNA, with instructions on how to make a particular protein

Question 5

what do proteins do?

Answer 5

proteins have different functions, and allow cells to monitor their environment and change their behaviour

Question 6

what causes proteins to change their behavior?

Answer 6

signals from neighboring cells
hormones
nutrients and oxygen
passing WBC
damage and stress

Question 7

how does a normal cell become a cancer cell?

Answer 7

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)

Question 8

what is the result of a faulty protein?

Answer 8

faulty protein could cause abnormal cell growth

Question 9

where can cancer cells also spread?

Answer 9

in the blood supply or lymphatic system and other areas of the body

Question 10

what are the 5 different types of cancer?

Answer 10

carcinoma
sarcoma
leukemia
lymphoma and myeloma
brain and spinal cord cancers

Question 11

what is carcinoma?

Answer 11

*This cancer begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal
organs, eg. lining the oesophagus

Question 12

what are the different subtypes of carcinoma?

Answer 12

There are many different subtypes: eg. adenocarcinoma, basal cell
carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma

Question 13

what is the most common type of cancer?

Answer 13

carcinoma

Question 14

can you have more than one type of carcinoma affecting each organ?

Answer 14

yes, Can have more than one type affecting each organ, eg. adenocarcinoma
(small cell lung cancer) and squamous cell carcinoma (non-sclc)

Question 15

what is sarcoma?

Answer 15

this cancer begins in the connective or supportive tissues such as bone, cartilage, fat, muscle or blood vessels

Question 16

what is leukaemia?

Answer 16

this is cancer of the leukocytes (WBC)

Question 17

what is the most common type of cancer in children?

Answer 17

leukaemia

Question 18

what is lymphoma and myeloma?

Answer 18

*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)

Question 19

what does the most common type of brain and spinal cord cancer develop from?

Answer 19

Most common type of brain cancer develops from gilal cells (glioma).

Question 20

what is the difference between primary and secondary cancer?

Answer 20

primary- where the first mutation began
secondary- where it spread to

Question 21

define metastasis

Answer 21

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

Question 22

what are some of the reasons why cancer cannot be cured?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

what are the 3 routes of spread?

Answer 23

1- directly into surrounding tissues
2- bloodstream
3-lymphatic vessels

Question 24

what are the most common sites for cancers to metastasize into?

Answer 24

brain, bones, lungs and liver

Question 25

what are the current strategies to prevent metastasis?

Answer 25

–Adjuvant chemotherapy
–Hormonal therapies
–Prolonged treatment
–Screening and monitoring

Question 26

what are the treatment options for metastatic disease?

Answer 26

–Surgery
–Aggressivechemotherapy / radiotherapy
–Biological therapies and monoclonal antibody treatment
–Low dosechemotherapy /
radiotherapy
–Symptom relief

Question 27

what happens to a patient upon presentation to a specialist center?

Answer 27

*Diagnosis confirmed:
*MRI or CT
*Blood count
*Biopsy

Question 28

what is the usual process for staging solid tumours?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

how do we grade cancer?

Answer 29

*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

Question 30

what happens to the patient following diagnois?

Answer 30

*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

Question 31

how do we treat cancer?

Answer 31

*Surgery
*Radiotherapy
*Chemotherapy

Question 32

what are the treatment aims?

Answer 32

*Curative
*Adjuvant / Neoadjuvant
*Palliative