Lecture 1: Introduction to Cancer BIology

Question 1

What are the incidence rate of cancer?

Answer 1

1. One in two will be diagnosed
2. One in four will die
3. Every 2 minutes someone is diagnosed in the UK

Question 2

What is cancer fundamentally?

Answer 2

1. large collection of diseases
2. uncontrolled replication of cells leads to tumour formation which disrupts the tissues structural integrity
3. leads to metastasis
4. increased incidence with age. Western culture = getting older = more cancer

Question 3

What are the cancer mortality and survival rates?

Answer 3

1. 24% of all deaths in UK in 2020 - 30% of males, 25% of females
2. Survival - huge variation, and survival % of a population doesnt represent the survival chances of an individual

Question 4

What causes cancer?

Answer 4

1. Hereditary
2. Environment; radiation, chemical, hazards
3. Lifestyle; diet, smoking (~15% OF ALL CANCERS), alcohol, sex
4. Viruses (bacteria?)

Question 5

What is transmissible cancer?

Answer 5

1. Dogs; canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT) - thought to be tumour cell itself
   (Murgia C et al)
2. Murchison et al (2012) - Tasmanian Devil
3. Does really EVER happen in humans, a few times when a organ donor had cancer without realising