Lecture 14: Genetic changes in cancer and modern approaches to treatment

Question 1

What is an oncogene?

Answer 1

A gain of function mutation in a gene usually involved in

the positive regulation of growth. Dominant.

Question 2

What is a tumour suppressor gene?

Answer 2

A loss of function mutation in a gene usually involved in the negative regulation of growth. Recessive.

Question 3

What is a proto-oncogene?

Answer 3

This is a wild-type form of a gene that positively regulates growth (or inhibits
cell death). It has the potential to become an oncogene if it becomes mutated.

Question 4

What are mutator genes?

Answer 4

Genes that are normally responsible for DNA repair. If they become mutated or
deleted this leads to an increase in mutations.

Question 5

What is Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML)?

Answer 5

Form of cancer caused by a translocation event between chromosome 9 and 22 which results in the production of a unique tyrosine kinase termed BCR-ABL.

Question 6

How is CML treated therapeutically?

Answer 6

Imatinib; a selective inhibitor of tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL

Question 7

How a patients with breast cancer caused by an over expression of the human epidermal growth
factor 2 (HER2) treated?

Answer 7

1. Herceptin; blocks downstream signalling of HER2.

2. Pertuzumab; blocks the the dimerisation of HER2.

Question 8

How can Venetoclax be used in the treated of CLL?

Answer 8

Venetoclax targets the over expression of the anti-apoptotic protein BCL2