Oncology 5 Flashcards
What are the steps of apoptosis?
- cellular membranes disrupted, cytoplasmic and nuclear skeletons broken down
- cytosol is extruded
- chromosomes degraded, nucleus fragmented
- shriveled cell corpse engulfed by macrophages
How long does it take for the cell to disappear after apoptosis?
24 hours
What are the two components of apoptosis?
- sensors
- effectors
apoptosis: sensors
Internal sensors of DNA damage or abnormality stimulate the release of effector agents
apoptosis: effectors
- Stimulated by abnormality sensors
- Mitochondria release chemicals to trigger apoptosis
What does “sustained angiogenesis” mean?
- has a self-building vascular supply
- commands blood to come to them
What happens to cells when they are a certain distance from a source of oxygen and nutrients?
stop growing
What do cancer cells use to signal growth of new blood vessels and sustain growth?
VEGF
VEGF =
vascular endothelial growth factor
Vessel anatomy: What is different about the normal vasculature and tumor vasculature?
- normal is highly organized
- tumor is highly disorganized with abnormal architecture
What are some of the characteristics of tumor vasculature?
- tortuous
- dilated
- uneven diameter
- excessive branching and shunts
- highly permeable
Which characteristic of tumor vasculature promotes metastasis?
high permeability
How do chemotherapy agents target angiogenesis?
- blocking VEGF receptors
- interfering with tyrosine kinase
- interfering with intracellular activator pathways
What do the drugs that end in -MAB do?
starve the tumor of nutrients
What do drugs that end in NIB do?
prevent cell from dividing and growing
What ARE drugs that end in MAB?
monoclonal antibodies
What do drugs that end in -MAB target?
protein receptors on the cell
What do the drugs that end in -NIB do to prevent the cell from dividing and growing?
block messenger activity of tyrosine kinase, part of the signaling process within the cell
