Outline of Cancer Process Flashcards
Most cancers are monoclonal.. what does this mean?
Arise from a single cell.
Discuss mitosis in cancer cells and non-cancerous cells.
cancer cells - lots undergoing mitosis - all in different stages
Normal cells - not many undergoing mitosis
cancer cells have lost contact inhibition. What does this mean?
Contact inhibition keeps the cells growing in a single line. If there is lots of free space, they can go crazy and grow everywhere.
Does normal cells or cancerous cells have an increase in oncogene expression?
cancerous cells .
What are three reasons for the initiation of cancer?
Chemical, viral and physical
Name some chemical reasons for the initiation of cancer.
Soot and tar, smoking and alcohol, some dyes
Name some viral reasons for cancer initiation.
Papilomma virus and herpes virus
Name some physical reasons for cancer initiation.
ionisation radiation and mechanical
What are two things that promote cancer?
growth cancer, oncogenes.
Give an example of a growth factor and what it does
polypeptide molecules bind to cell membrane receptors, and stimulate intracellular pathways
Give an example of an oncogene?
BRC-2 was a protooncogene - when it becomes an oncogene it prevents apoptosis.
What allows cancer progression?
Metastasis
What two systems can growth factors and oncogenes stimulate, and what do they do?
Autocrine system - hormones - wide spread effects
Paracrine system - local effects in neighbouring tissue.
Name a tumour supressor gene, and describe what it usually does.
p53, it usually promotes DNA repair and apoptosis
Is metastasis random?
nope
