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CAN Sem 4 > L01 What is cancer? > Flashcards

L01 What is cancer? Flashcards

1
Q

What is cancer

Definition of cancer? L01

A

Uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in a tissue, invasive and metastasising

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2
Q

What is cancer

What is a carcinoma? L01

A

Cancer of epithelial cells

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3
Q

What is cancer

What is an adenocarcinoma? L01

A

A carcinoma featuring microscopic glandular-related tissue cytology, tissue architecture, and/or gland-related molecular products

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4
Q

What is cancer

What is a squamous cell carcinoma? L01

A

Refers to a carcinoma with observable features and characteristics indicative of squamous differentiation (intercellular bridges, keratinisation, squamous pearls)

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5
Q

What is cancer

List the three most common sites of adenocarcinoma? L01

A

Lung
Colon
Breast

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6
Q

What is cancer

List the three most common sites of squamous cell carcinoma? L01

A

Skin
Nasal cavity
Oropharynx

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7
Q

What is cancer

What is a sarcoma? L01

A

Cancer of cells of mesenchymal origin e.g. osteosarcoma (osteoblasts), fibrosarcoma (fibroblasts), chondrosarcoma (chondroblasts)

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8
Q

What is cancer

What is a leukaemia? L01

A

Cancer of leukocytes that usually begins in bone marrow

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9
Q

What is cancer

What is a lymphoma? L01

A

Cancer of lymphocytes

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10
Q

What is cancer

What is a cancer of the plasma cells called? L01

A

Myeloma

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11
Q

What is cancer

What are four types of leukaemia? L01

A

Acute lymphocytic
Acute myelogenous
Chronic lymphocytic
Chronic myelogenous

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12
Q

What is cancer

What is a cancer of the central and peripheral nervous system called? L01

A

Neuroectodermal tumours

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13
Q

What is cancer

What is a glioblastoma multiforme? L01

A

A highly progressed cancer of the astrocytes

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14
Q

What is cancer

What is an ependymoma? L01

A

Cancer of cells lining the ventricles of the brain

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15
Q

What is cancer

What are the types of gene that normally initiate cancer? L01

A

Genes that control:

  • growth
  • the cell cycle
  • stem cells
  • integrity of genome + repair
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16
Q

What is cancer

How do mutations arise? L01

A

Copying errors during DNA replication
Spontaneous depurination
Exposure to different agents e.g. UV light, tobacco, background ionising radiation

17
Q

What is cancer

Of what clonal growth is cancer? L01

A

Monoclonal

18
Q

What is cancer

What is a tumour suppressor gene’s function? L01

A

Negative regulator of cell growth (prevents growth), even when one allele is mutated. Need to lose both alleles to lose suppressor effect

19
Q

What is cancer

What is the function of an oncogene? L01

A

Positive regulator of cell growth, makes cells grow, even when one allele is mutated

20
Q

What is cancer

What are the six hallmarks of cancer? L01

A 
Resisting cell death
Sustaining proliferative signalling
Evading growth suppressors
Activating invasion and metastasis
Inducing angiogenesis
Enabling replicative immortality
21
Q

What is cancer

Explain how cancer cells are self-sufficient in growth signals. L01

A

Ligand independent firing; they can signal without extracellular factors
Autocrine signalling; they secrete their own GFs

22
Q

What is cancer

What is the function of Ras protein? L01

A

It controls intracellular signalling pathways including proliferation, differentiation, cell adhesion, apoptosis and cell migration

23
Q

What is cancer

What is the significance of Ras protein in cancers? L01

A

Ras and Ras-related proteins are often deregulated in cancers, leading to invasion and metastasis, and decreased apoptosis

24
Q

What is cancer

How are cancer cells insensitive to anti-growth signals? L01

A

Disruption of pRB pathway. pRB controls the restriction point in the cell cycle from G0 to S stages. It is normally determined by tumour suppressor genes but cancer cells evade this mechanism.

25
Q

What is cancer

How do cancer cells evade apoptosis? L01

A

They increase anti-apoptotic regulators e.g. P13K

They decrease pro-apoptotic regulators e.g. cytochrome C, p53, through loss or mutations

26
Q

What is cancer

What is the function of p53? L01

A

p53 causes cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, angiogenesis block, and apoptosis. It is a pro-apoptotic regulator

27
Q

What is cancer

How do cancer cells create a limitless replicative potential? L01

A

They escape crisis by adding telomeres to the ends of DNA. They bypass senescence.

28
Q

What is cancer

How do cancer cells sustain angiogenesis? L01

A

Control the transcription of angiogenic activators and down-regulate angiogenic inhibitors

29
Q

What is cancer

Example of angiogenic activators? L01

A

VEGF-A, -B, -C

FGF1, FGF2

30
Q

What is cancer

Example of angiogenic inhibitors? L01

A 
Thrombospondin-1, -2
INFalpha and beta 
Angiostatin
Endostatin 
Collagen IV fragments
31
Q

What is cancer

Define metastasis. L01

A

Multistep process leading to the spread of cancer to distant organs

32
Q

What is cancer

What are the two emerging hallmarks of cancer? L01

A

Deregulating cellular energetics (glycolytic switch)

Avoiding immune destruction (secrete immunosuppressive factor)

33
Q

What is cancer

What are the two enabling characteristics of cancer? L01

A

Genome instability and mutation

Tumour-promoting inflammation

34
Q

What is cancer

How does growth occur in cancerous cells? L01

A

Selective clonal selection

CAN Sem 4 (6 decks)

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