L01-Introduction to course and ‘What is Cancer?’ Flashcards
How can mutations arise?
Copying errors in DNA replication
Spontaneous depurination (chemical reactions)
Exposure to different agents
What is a tumour supressor gene?
A gene which has the normal function of being a negative regulator of cell growth. Must lose both alleles of this gene to lose supressor effects.
What is an oncogene?
A positive regulator of cell growth. So only one allele is required to be mutated to cause uncontrolled cell growth.
What are the 6 hallmarks of cancer?
Sustaining proliferative signalling - alterations of extracellular signals
Evading growth supressors - disruption of pRB pathway
Activating invasion and metastasis - changes in adhesion receptors e.g. cadherins
Enabling replacative immortality - increased expression of telomerase
Inducing angiogenesis - angiogenic swich
Resisting cell death - mutation of p53
What is a neoplasm?
A mass of cells that have undergone an irreversible change from normality.
What is the parenchyma?
It is the region of a tissue that is responsible for carrying out specialised functions. This is where primary tumours start.
What is the stroma?
It is the mesenchymal part of the tissue composed of different cell types.
What are the suffixes for benign and malignant cancers?
For benign it is -oma e.g. fibroma and for malignant it is carcinoma e.g. adenoocarcinoma
