Introduction Flashcards
After heart disease, what is the single largest cause of death in the UK and most countries of the developed world?
Cancer
After heart disease, what is the single largest cause of death in the UK and most countries of the developed world?
Cancer
How many people will suffer from cancer at some point in their life in the UK?
> 1 in 3
How many people will die from cancer in the UK?
> 1 in 4
What percentage of deaths in the UK are caused by cancer?
27%
Which 4 cancer are responsible for the most deaths in the UK?
22% - lung cancer
10% - colorectal cancer
16% (women) - breast cancer
13% (men) - prostate cancer
How many different types of cancer are there?
> 200, but most are very rare
Are survival rates for different cancers the same?
No, they vary
Are cancer survival rates improving?
Yes, steadily
Overall, cancer deaths fell by what percentage between 1978 and 2007?
19%
What does the fall in cancer deaths reflect?
Improved early diagnosis as well as improved treatments
Can cancers be ‘cured’?
Some cancers can whereas others cannot
In some cancers, e.g. testicular and ovarian cancer, survival rates relative to the general population are the same after..
..10 years or after 5 years, hence life expectancy is the same
(This is not true of other cancers, e.g. prostate or breast cancer)
Is cancer an age-related disease?
Yes
Cancer is a disease predominantly of older people. What percentage of cases are over 60 years old?
74%
What percentage of cancer cases are in children ages 0-14 years?
In the 15-24 year age group, how many cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2006?
1875
Most common are lymphoma, testicular cancer, melanoma and leukaemia
What are the 2 ways in which we can combat cancer?
Prevention and treatment
How many people will suffer from cancer at some point in their life in the UK?
> 1 in 3
How many people will die from cancer in the UK?
> 1 in 4
What percentage of deaths in the UK are caused by cancer?
27%
Which 4 cancer are responsible for the most deaths in the UK?
22% - lung cancer
10% - colorectal cancer
16% (women) - breast cancer
13% (men) - prostate cancer
How many different types of cancer are there?
> 200, but most are very rare
Are survival rates for different cancers the same?
No, they vary
Are cancer survival rates improving?
Yes, steadily
Overall, cancer deaths fell by what percentage between 1978 and 2007?
19%
What does the fall in cancer deaths reflect?
Improved early diagnosis as well as improved treatments
Can cancers be ‘cured’?
Some cancers can whereas others cannot
In some cancers, e.g. testicular and ovarian cancer, survival rates relative to the general population are the same after..
..10 years or after 5 years, hence life expectancy is the same
(This is not true of other cancers, e.g. prostate or breast cancer)
Is cancer an age-related disease?
Yes
Cancer is a disease predominantly of older people. What percentage of cases are over 60 years old?
74%
What percentage of cancer cases are in children ages 0-14 years?
In the 15-24 year age group, how many cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2006?
1875
Most common are lymphoma, testicular cancer, melanoma and leukaemia
How many cases of pre-invasive cervical carcinoma are diagnosed in young women (15-24 years) each year through smear testing?
~4000
What are the 2 ways in which we can combat cancer?
Prevention and treatment
What is the advantage of rational drug discovery?
It allows treatment to be tailored to the specific tumour of a specific patient ‘stratified or personalised medicine’
How many cancer deaths are linked to smoking?
1 in 4
What percentage of lung cancer deaths are linked to smoking?
> 80%
Which of the 4 big cancers has one of the lowest 5 year survival rates (6%)?
Lung cancer
What cancers (other than lung cancer) is smoking also linked to?
Mouth, throat, liver, bladder etc.
Smoking is also a serious risk factor for what other diseases?
Heart disease and stroke
How many people has smoking killed in the last 50 years?
> 6 million
What are the 3 causes of cancer?
Lifestyle
Infectious agents
Genetics
Give some examples of lifestyle causes of cancer
Smoking Obesity/poor diet Sunlight Lack of exercise Occupational exposure
Give some examples of infectious agents that cause cancer
Hepatitis viruses - liver cancer
Papillomaviruses - cervical cancer
Helicobacter pylori - stomach cancer
What is meant by the genetic causes of cancer?
Inherited predispositions
When we fail to prevent cancer, how can we treat cancer?
Surgery
Radiotherapy
Chemotherapy
What does the current chemotherapy do and what is the aim for future chemotherapeutics?
Current - chemotherapeutics that kill dividing cells
Future - targeted drugs that selectively kill cancer cells
What are the two types of cancer drug discovery?
Empirical drug discovery (chemotherapeutic compounds)
Rational drug discovery (targeted compounds)
Define empirical drug discovery
Screen small molecule drug libraries against tumour models, e.g in a mouse
What is the disadvantage of empirical drug discovery?
We often don’t know what the molecular target is, making it hard to determine which patients will benefit the most
Define rational drug discovery
Screen small molecule drug libraries against a specific protein that plays a direct role in cancer progression
What is the advantage of rational drug discovery?
It allows treatment to be tailored to the specific tumour of a specific patient ‘stratified or personalised medicine’
