Lecture 1 Flashcards
Define carcinoma.
Cancer of epithelial cells (lungs, colon, skin)
Define sarcoma.
Cancer of connective tissue (bone, muscle)
Define leukemia.
Cancer of the blood
Define lymphoma.
Cancer of the immune cells
What is a benign tumor?
Tumor that remains contained in place
What is a malignant tumor?
Invasive tumor that can move through the blood stream
Define clonal in terms of cancer.
All cells from a cancer tumor are derived from a single cell
What happens when mutations occur in dividing cells?
Mutation is passed on to many progeny cells –> causes cancer
What happens when mutations occur in non-dividing cells?
Usually doesn’t induce cancer
What are some examples of non-dividing cells in the body in which cancer can occur?
- RBCs, WBCs
- Absorptive cells that line the small intestine
- Keratinized cells that form the skin
What type of cells initiate cancerous tumors?
Precursor cells (stem cells) of differentiated cells
What are transformed cells? Characteristics/consequences?
Cells that have picked up cancer-like properties:
- loss of contact inhibition
- growth factor independent growth
- undifferentiated
- avoid apoptosis
- grain immortality
- induce tumors
What are tumor suppressor genes? Function?
Genes that normally slow down cell growth and prevent cell proliferation
What do mutations in tumor suppressor genes lead to?
Decreased activity of these genes –> loss-of-function mutation is oncogenic
How are tumor suppressor genes inherited? Significance?
Recessive –> both alleles of the gene have to be mutated (homozygous recessive) to observe loss-of-function
