Lecture 18

Question 1

What are the main types of cancer in children ?

Answer 1

50% of childhood cancers are leukaemia or brain/cns tumors.

Question 2

True or False : Lung cancer is the most common cancer.

Answer 2

FALSE : it’s the cancer with the highest mortality rate. Breast/Prostate cancer have the highest incidence rates.

Question 3

True or false : Global Cancer Incidence + Mortality has risen.

Answer 3

TRUE.

Question 4

True or false : Breast cancer risk increases with age.

Answer 4

TRUE.

Question 5

What happens to Japanese individuals who move to the US in terms of cancer incidence ? What does it mean ?

Answer 5

Their incidence of stomach cancer goes down and their incidence of colon cancer goes up. This means that lifestyle/environment has a bigger influence on cancer incidence than genetics.

Question 6

What are the properties of tumour cells ?

Answer 6

1. Undifferentiated
2. Loss of contact inhibition
3. Increased oncogene expression
4. Loss of tumour suppressor gene expression
5. Increased growth factor expression

Question 7

What is cachexia ?

Answer 7

A symptom of malignant tumours, it’s total body wasting from loss of appetite.

Question 8

What are paraneoplastic symptoms ?

Answer 8

Derangements caused by malignant tumours, neurological/biochemical/hemolytic effects.

Question 9

How can tumors cause death ?

Answer 9

1. Disruption of tissues.
2. Obstruction of lumens.
3. Increased infection
4. Metastasis
5. Erosion of blood vessels
6. Cardiac failure

Question 10

How to metastasis protect themselves from the immune system ?

Answer 10

They cover themselves with platelets.

Question 11

How does metastasis occur (how does the tumor spread) ?

Answer 11

The tumour’s laminin receptor attaches to the laminin bound to collagen in the connective tissue. The the tumour releases proteases that eat the basement membrane, and the tumour extends pseudopods and release uterine motility factors to move out.

Question 12

What is retrograde venous spread ?

Answer 12

Growth of tumour in vein that causes reversal of blood flow.

Question 13

How do you stage tumours ?

Answer 13

With the TNM system:

1. Tumor size. (grade 1-4)
2. Node involvement (how many)
3. Metastasis (0 if none, 1 if there is)

Question 14

How do you determine cancer survival rate ?

Answer 14

1. Level of differentiation (Gleason Scale)
2. Node involvement
3. Stage of tumour
4. Presence of estrogen receptors.