L29 Cancer Pathobiology Flashcards
What is cancer?
A disease or aberrant cell which is a consequence of chromosomal changes
What is cell proliferation and differentiation?
- Cell proliferation: Refers to the process by which cells increase in number
- Cell differentiation: Less specialised cell carries a more specialised function and structure
Is there a similar cancer frequency in all human populations?
No.
Understand that in all human populations, we have different frequencies as in Australia you are 155x at risk of getting melanoma compared to to Japan
Is cancer pathobiology nature or nurture?
High rate of stomach in Japanese people however high rate in prostate cancer in caucasian. Hawaiian Japanese is in the middle
Nurture - environmental influences triumphs
What do we mean by environmental influences in regard to cancer pathobiology?
- Environmental influences in cancer pathobiology refer to the external factors that can contribute to the development and progression of cancer like lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol consumption), exposure to carcinogens ( chemicals, radiation)
Give me 3 examples of environmental influences
Infection
Diet
Noxious agents
How does cancer arise from an infection?
Cancer arises because the virus encodes a hyperactive form of a human tyrosine kinase gene
How is infection classed as an environmental influence?
Human papillomvirus causes cervical carcinoma.
How is diet a significant influence on cancer?
If you consume a significant amount of koji mold - rice, peanuts that has small traces of Aspergillus oryzae then you’ll more likely to develop hepatocellular carcinoma
(Just understand, no need to remember specific names)
Explain how a noxious substance can increase the likelihood of cancer
Asbestos - naturally occurring silicate.
The dust of asbestos can create a rare cancer called diffuse pleural mesothelioma
What are the main causes of cancer?
Smoking
Diet, overweight, and obesity
Lack of exercise
Viruses
Alcohol
UV and ionizing radiation
Hey pookie :)
What does a protein kinase do?
Protein kinases act as molecular switches, controlling the activity of other proteins by adding phosphate groups to them.
What is an oncogene?
An oncogene is a mutated gene that has the potential to cause cancer. Essentially, it’s a gene that has gone rogue, promoting uncontrolled cell growth and division
How do oncogenes come about?
Oncogenes arise from the alteration of normal genes called proto- oncogenes. These alterations could be:
- point mutations, insertions/deletions in coding sequence
- Regulatory mutations (overproduced)
- Gene amplification
- Chromosome rearrangement
Boo 👻
