L02: Environmental Factors And Cancer

Question 1

What are the environmental factors that can cause cancer involve

Answer 1

Diet 
Lifestyle choices
Infectious disease
Outdoor and indoor pollution 
Soil and drinking water contaminants

Question 2

What are the cancer incidents patterns like in different countries

Answer 2

Cancer incidence rates are different

Question 3

Do cancer types in countries differ

Answer 3

Yes

Question 4

Name a country that has high risk of skin cancer

Answer 4

Australia

Question 5

What country has the lowest risk of skin cancer

Answer 5

Japan

Question 6

Does migration of people from one country to another affect their cancer risk

Answer 6

No e.g if Japanese settle into the u.s they still have a low risk

Question 7

Can some cancers become avoidable

Answer 7

Yes

Question 8

When are some cancers avoidable

Answer 8

When they have a non-genetic cancer

Question 9

What are carcinogens

Answer 9

A substance that can induce cancer

Question 10

What are carcinogens that lead to cancer

Answer 10

Mutagenic

Question 11

Name some examples of group 1 carcinogen

Answer 11

Virus 
Solar Radiation 
Smoking 
Alcohol 
Processed meat

Question 12

What is 3 factors of a risk assessment for a carcinogen involve

Answer 12

Potency
Type of exposure
Dose response (what happens to risk if exposure increases)

Question 13

What has lung cancer been associated with

Answer 13

Air pollution

Question 14

What substances does air pollution involve

Answer 14

Particulate matter 
Nitrogen dioxide
Sulfur dioxide 
Ozone gas
Carbon monoxide 
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Question 15

What are the sources of air pollution

Answer 15

Transport
Farming 
Industry 
Natural pollutants 
Fossil fuel power stations

Question 16

Which report classed air pollution as a carcinogen

Answer 16

IARC hazard assessment

Question 17

What is the molecular mechanism of particulate matter that

Answer 17

Sustained proliferative signalling 
Cell death resistance
Angiogenesis induction 
Activation of invasion and metastasis
Inflammation 
Genome instability

Question 18

What is the main source of indoor air pollution

Answer 18

Tobacco exposure or second hand smoking

Question 19

What are the ways of nicotine causing cancer

Answer 19

• React with DNA to form DNA addicts
• Miscoding that leads to permanent mutation in DNA : if it occurs in RAS or P53 it can cause cancer
• Failure of regulatory mechanism
• Tobacco contains tumour promoters which activate carcinogenesis

Question 20

What diseases can smoking lead to

Answer 20

Lung cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Oesophageal cancer

Question 21

Why is colorectal cancer highest in Germany than Greece

Answer 21

There are differences in the diet

Question 22

What type of meat causes cancer

Answer 22

Red and processed meat

Question 23

What is processed meat

Answer 23

Transformed through salting, fermentation or other processes to enhance flavour

Question 24

What is red meat

Answer 24

Unprocessed mammalian meat

Question 25

Which type of meat is classed as group 1 carcinogen

Answer 25

Processed meat

Question 26

Which type of meat is classed as 2a carcinogen

Answer 26

Red meat

Question 27

What does being classed into group 1 carcinogen mean

Answer 27

It causes cancer

Question 28

What does being classed into class 2a carcinogen mean

Answer 28

Probably causes cancer

Question 29

Does smoking or meat have the highest risk of cancer

Answer 29

Smoking

Question 30

Which food types lower the risk of cancer

Answer 30

Fibres

Question 31

What is low fibres linked to

Answer 31

Increased risk of bowel cancer

Question 32

How does weight have a relationship with cancer

Answer 32

Longer the person stays obese the higher the risk of cancer

Question 33

What is the mechanism for obesity with cancer

Answer 33

obesity promotes primary tumour growth and metastasis progression

Question 34

What occurs in obesity

Answer 34

Inflammation

Question 35

How does inflammation due to obesity drive cancer

Answer 35

inflammation provides tumour development | increased inflammation attracts myeloid cells and drives the release of IL-1B which increases tumour signalling

Question 36

What happens to the stroma in obesity that causes tumour development

Answer 36

obesity increases fibroblast in the stroma which stiffens the extracellular matrix and promotes cancer growth and migration

Question 37

What happens to the number of adipocytes in the body in obesity

Answer 37

Increases

Question 38

What does increased adipocytes in obesity do to drive tumour growth

Answer 38

increased adipocytes express VEGF-A that increase IL-B increasing tumour angiogenesis

Question 39

How is physical activity correlated with cancer

Answer 39

Increase in physical activity can lower the risk of some cancer

Question 40

Name an example of a cancer that has reduced risk with exercise

Answer 40

Breast cancer

Question 41

How does exercise decrease the risk of developing breast cancer

Answer 41

Lowers oestrogen Lowers insulin Reduce inflammation

Question 42

How is alcohol consumption correlated with cancer

Answer 42

Increased alcohol consumption increases risk of cancer

Question 43

What is the mechanism behind alcohol and cancer

Answer 43

Alcohol damaged DNA by point mutations Increased hormones Damage to liver cells to give liver cancer

Question 44

What is asbestos

Answer 44

A naturally occurring fibrous silicate that is used in thermal insulation

Question 45

What does prolonged inhalation of asbestos cause

Answer 45

Pleural mesothelioma

Question 46

What is pleural mesothelioma

Answer 46

Cancer of the lining of the lung

Question 47

Is there any treatment for pleural mesothelioma

Answer 47

No

Question 48

What does radiation lead to that causes cancer

Answer 48

DNA damage

Question 49

Overall to reduce the risk of cancer what can someone do

Answer 49

Quit smoking Avoid uv light Healthy diet- rich in fibres Exercise- for breast cancer