MO Flashcards
What is cancer characterised by?
→Abnormal cell proliferation
→ Tumour formation
→Invasion of neighbouring normal tissue
→Metastasis to form new tumours at distant sites
What are the two enabling characteristics of cancer?
→genome instability
→tumour inflammation
What are the two emerging hallmarks of cancer?
→avoiding immune destruction
→ reprogramming energy metabolism
What are the hallmarks of cancer?
→sustaining proliferative signalling →resisting cell death →genome instability →enabling replicative immortality →evading growth suppressors
How has long life span increased risk of cancers?
→longer we live the more time there is for DNA to accumulate
mutations that may lead to cancer
What type of developmental is cancer?
→clonal
How does heterogeneity arise in tumour cells?
→Tumour cells can ‘evolve’- sub clonal selection allowing a growth advantage
→Dependent on interaction with other tumour cells and the tumour microenvironment
What are proto-oncogenes?
→Normal genes that can be activated to be oncogenic
What is an oncogene?
→a proto-oncogene that has been mutated in a way that leads to signals that cause uncontrolled growth
What are tumour suppressor genes?
→inhibit both growth and tumour formation
→braking signals during phase G1 of the cell cycle, to stop
or slow the cell cycle before S phase.
What are the 3 assumptions in multistage carcinogenesis?
→Malignant transformation of a single cell is sufficient to give rise to a tumour
→Any cell in a tissue is as likely to be transformed as any other of the same type
→Once a malignant cell is generated the mean time to tumour detection is generally constant
What are the five models of carcinogenesis?
→mutational →genome instability →non-genotoxic →Darwinian →tissue organisation
What supports that cancer arises through the accumulation of irreversible DNA damage?
→presence of multiple mutations in critical genes is a distinctive feature of cancer cells
What are the 4 classes of carcinogens?
→chemical
→physical
→heritable
→viral
What are the two types of physical carcinogens?
→radiation eg ionisation or ultraviolet
→asbestos
What are two examples of viral carcinogens?
→Hepatitis B
→Epstein Barr
How do chemical carcinogens exert their effects?
→effects by adding functional groups to DNA bases called DNA adducts
Give an example of a chemical carcinogens
→coal tar, which contains benzo[a]pyrene, a polycyclic hydrocarbon
What chemical carcinogen is easiest to enter cells?
→Benzo[a]pyrene
Which enzymes in the body activate benzopyrene?
→cytochrome p450