Outline Of Disease Process

Question 1

What stage of cells are affected by chemotherapy?

Answer 1

Only ‘cycling’ cells are susceptible to it, not cells in resting and non proliferation stage.

Question 2

What are some causes of initiation of a cancer?

Answer 2

Chemical carcinogens
Physical carcinogens such as ionising radiation or a mechanism which causes chromosome translocation, gene amplification and oncogene activation.
Viral carcinogens.

Question 3

What assists promotion of the cancer?

Answer 3

Oncogenes which are transforming genes and regulators of growth.
Growth factors are polypeptide molecules which regulate cell growth and function.

Question 4

What is the difference between autocrine and paracrine in stimulation?

Answer 4

Autocrine means the cell carries receptor and secretes growth factor so it escapes normal control mechanism.
Paracrine has growth factors acting on a cell produced locally by the cell or adjacent cells.

Question 5

Name a tumour suppressor cell that is the most commonly altered gene in human tumours.

Answer 5

P53 which is normally used for transcription regulator in apoptosis.

Question 6

Name six enzymes involved in invasion and metastasis

Answer 6

In extracellular matrix
MMPs
Plasmin
Cathepsin
In cell adhesion
Cahedrins
Integrins
CD44

Question 7

What is VEGF and what does it do?

Answer 7

Vascular endothelial growth factor

It promotes metastasis

Question 8

Why does our immune system not recognise foreign cancer cells?

Answer 8

Cancer cells can hide from T cells.

PD1 present on T cells. Ligand PDL-1 presents on tumour cells. Interaction of these suppresses T cell action.