NON MODIFIABLE AND MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS FOR CANCER Flashcards
ABSOLUTE RISK
THE CHANCE THAT A PERSON WILL DEVELOP A DISEASE DURING A GIVEN TIME; IDENTIFIES HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AT RISK FOR DISEASE IN THE GENERAL POPULATION (NOT SPECIFIC TO A CERTAIN GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL, E.G. 1/8 WOMEN WILL GET BREAST CANCER IN THEIR LIFETIME)
RELATIVE RISK
COMPARES THE RISK OF DISEASE BETWEEN 2 GROUPS OF PEOPLE (COMPARES ONE GROUP WITH A CERTAIN RISK FACTOR FOR A DISEASE TO ANOTHER GROUP’S RISK) (E.G. SMOKERS ARE X TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP LUNG CANCER THAN NON-MOKERS)
INCIDIENCE IS USUALLY CALCULATED FOR a time period of?
1 YEAR
RESEARCH REPORTS OFTEN GIVE INCIDENCE AS AN INCIDENCE RATE, WHICH IS:
THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WILL DEVELOP A DISEASE OUT OF EVERY 100,000 PEOPLE
INCIDENCE RATE FOR CANCER IS OFTEN ADJUSTED FOR:
AGE
(OLDER AGE IS A RISK FACTOR FOR MANY CANCERS, SO SOMETIMES INCIDANCE RATE COULD APPEAR HIGH JUST BECAUSE A POPULATION IS PREDOMINANTELY OLD, SO ADJUSTING FOR AGE IS COMMON)
SOME FACTORS INCIDENCE STATISTICS MAY LOOK AT:
- SEVERAL CANCERS COMBINED
- SPECIFIC AGE RANGES
- SPECIFIC TYPES OF CANCER
- SPECIFIC STAGES OF A TYPE OF CANCER
- SPECIFIC CANCER RISK FACTORS
INCIDANCE RATE THAT FOR EXAMPLE COVERS JUST A CERTAIN ETHNICITY WOULD BE CALLED:
SPECIFIC INCIDENCE RATE
THE PREVALENCE NUMBER FOR CANCER INCLUDES:
- THOSE NEWLY DIAGNOSED (THIS IS INCIDENCE)
- THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT
- THOSE WHO HAD CANCER TREATMENT IN THE PAST
HOW IS PREVALENCE EXPRESSED?
- AS A NUMBER OR A PRECENTAGE
- PER 100,000 PEOPLE
MORTALITY RATE
THE NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM A DISEASE PER 100,000 PEOPLE DURING A TIME PERIOD (USUALLY 1 YEAR)
(CAN BE AGE ADJUSTED IN SOME CASES, E.G. CANCER)
CATEGORIES OF CANCER RISK FACTORS (3)
UNMODIFIABLE INTRINSIC RISK FACTORS (UNAVOIDABLE SPONTANEOUS MUTATIONS THAT ARISE AS A RESULT OF RANDOM ERRORS IN DNA REPLICATION; OCCUR IN DIFFERENT ORGANISMS AT DIFFERENT RATES —> RANDOM REPLICATION ERROR RATE)
NON INTRINSIC RISK FACTOR
A) ENDOGENOUS RISK FACTORS (PARTIALLY MODIFIABLE, RELATED TO INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS LIKE HORMONE LEVELS, IMMUNE SYSTEM, METABOLISM, DNA DAMAGE RESPONSE…)
B) EXOGENOUS RISK FACTORS (MODIFIABLE, E.G. CARCINOGENS, VIRUSES, RADIATION, LIFESTYLE CHOICES…)
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL DEVELOP CANCER IN THEIR LIFETIME? WHY?
1/2
ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS IS PEOPLE LIVING LONGER
HALF OF ALL CANCERS ARE IN PEOPLE OLDER THAN?
70
% OF CANCERS LINKED TO INHERITED FAULTY GENES?
5%
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE FAULTY BRCA1 OR BRCA2 GENE (BREAST CANCER GENE)
CCA 1 IN 400 (RARE)
HOW COMMON ARE BRCA MUTATIONS IN GEN POP COMPARED TO PEOPLE WITH BREATS CANCER?
LESS THAN 1% OF GEN POP (CCA 1 IN 400 PEOPLE)
10% OF WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER
20% OF MEN WITH BREAST CANCER
MUTATIONS IN BRCA GENES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF WHICH CANCERS?
- BREAST
- OVARIAN
- PROSTATE
- PANCREATIC
% OF WOMEN VS MEN WHO ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BREAST CANCER BY THE AGE OF 80 IF THEY HAVE A BRCA1 OR BRCA2 MUTATION?
70% OF WOMEN (BRCA1 OR 2)
10% OF MEN (WITH BRCA 2 MUTATION SPECIFICALLY)
ASSOCIATION OF BRCA GENES WITH OVARIAN CANCER?
ALMOST 45% OF PEOPLE WITH A FAULTY BRCA1 GENE WILL DEVELOP OVARIAN CANCER BY THE AGE OF 80
ALMOST 20% OF PEOPLE WITH A FAULTY BRCA2 GENE WILL DEVELOP OVARIAN CANCER BY THE AGE OF 80
LYNCH SYNDROME OTHER NAME:
HEREDITARY NON POLYPOSIS COLON CANCER (HNPCC)
MUTATIONS IN WHICH GENES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LYNCH SYNDROME?
MLH1, MSH2, MSH6. PMS2
RISK OF BOWEL CANCER FOR PEOPLE WITH LYNCH SYNDROME?
- UP TO 70% OF PEOPLE WILL DEVELOP BOWEL CANCER, USUALLY BEFORE THEY TURN 50
APART FROM BOWEL CANCER, LYNCH SYNDROME IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCRASED RISK FOR WHICH CANCERS?
- WOMB
- OVARIAN
- STOMACH
- GALLBLADDER
- PROSTATE
- URINARY TRACT (E.G. BLADDER)
LI-FRAUMENI SYNDROME (LFS)
- CAUSED BY A MUTATION IN TP53 GENE (TSG, INVOLVED IN CELL DIVISION) TP53 is the genetic blueprint for a protein called p53.
- INCREASED RISK FOR BREAST CANCER, BON CANCER, ACUTE MYELOID LEUKAEMIA, SOFT TISSUE SARCOMA, BRAIN TUMOURS, ADRENAL GLAND CANCER
PTEN HAMARTOMA TUMOUR SYNDROME
- INCLUDES COWDEN SYNDROME
- MUTATION IN PTEN GENE
- INCRESES RISK OF DEVELOPING BENIGN TUMOURS AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCERS (BREAST CANCER, THYROID CANCER, WOMB, BOWEL, KIDNEY, SKIN CANCER)
FAMILIAL ADENOMATOUS POLYPOSIS (FAP)
- MUTATION IN THE APC GENE (CAN CAUSE 100s OF BENIGN GROWTHS (POLYPS) TO DEVELOP- IN THE BOWEL AT A YOUNG AGE)
- RARE, LINKED TO CCA 1% OF BOWEL CANCERS
- IF UNREATED, PEOPLE WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY DEVELOP BOWEL CANCER BY THE TIME THEY ARE 40
+ INCREASED RISK OF STOMACH CANCER, PANCREATIC CANCER, LIVER CANCER
MUTYH ASSOCIATED POLYPOSIS (MAP)
- MUTATIONS IN THE MUTYH GENE, A PERSON MUST INHERIT 2 MUTATED COPIES
- PEOPLE WITH MAP DEVELOP POLYPS AND ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP BOWEL CANCER UNDER THE AGE OF 60
(+ SMALL INCREASE OF RISK FOR OVARIAN, BLADDER, BREATS AND WOMB CANCER)
PEUTZ JEGHERS SYNDROME (PJS)
- MUTATION IN STK11 GENE
- SOME SIGNS CAN APPEAR DURING CHILDHOOD
- INCLUDES DARKER SKIN AROUND THE MOUTH, LIPS, FIGERS AND TOES
- ICREASED RISK FOR BREAST, BOWEL, PANCREATIC, STOMACH AND OVARIN CANCER
JUVENILE POLYPOSIS SYNDROME (JPS)
- LINKED TO THE BMPR1A AND SMAD4 GENES
- CAN CAUSE POLYPS IN THE STOMACH AND SMALL BOWEL
- JUVENILE IS THE NAME OF THE TYPE OF POLYP AND NOT RELATED TO THE AGE AT WHICH THEY DEVELOP
- INCREASED RISK OF STOMACH AND BOWEL CANCER
PALB2 GENE MUTATION AND CANCER RISK
- CAN INCREASE BREATS CANCER RISK
- UP TO 50% OF WOMEN WITH A FAULTY PALB2 WILL DEVELOP BREAST CANCER BY THE AGE OF 70