P7 + 8 - Disorders of growth and neoplasia 4/5 Flashcards
what can be said for most tumours?
Most tumours are monoclonal ie all the cells in a tumour appear to arise from one parent cell which has undergone a genetic change. This is then passed on to all the progeny
What do tumour cells lack?
normal control mechanisms thus the clone expands due to uncontrolled proliferation
where can further genetic changes occur and what does it become?
- develop in the progeny
- tumour becomes heterogeneous
Name some way cells are transformed.
- Altered nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio
- Altered and variable nuclear morphology (pleomorphism)
- Altered nuclear staining (hyperchromasia)
- Altered DNA content (aneuploidy)
What happens for cells go to from normal tissue to neoplastic tissue?
carcinogenesis
Describe the aetiology of cancer.
- Cancer is not a single disease -Different cancers –different causes
- Often multiple factors involved
Name environmental factors of carcinogenesis.
- Chemicals
- radiation
- viruses
- Unknown
Describe chemical carcinogenesis.
- Many different chemicals have been implicated in
causing cancer - Often based on strong epidemiological evidence
- Animal studies
what is smoking linked to?
• Linked to many different types of cancer – particularly • Lung cancer • Oral Cancer • Smoke is not a pure chemical: – Polycyclic hydrocarbons – Nitrosodiethylamine – Ni and Cd
what sometimes acts directly?
chemicals
what do other chemicals require?
metabolic conversion to an active form
what is the multistep theory of carcinogenesis evolved from. animal studies of carcinogens ?
1- Initiation- DNA damage and mutation
2 -Promotion-clonal expansion of abnormal cells leading to cancer
what is the key issue with carcinogens?
able to recognise and identify carcinogens
Describe radiation.
• Much evidence that ionising radiation can induce cancers
• Radiotherapy can lead to later development of second cancer
-Ionising radiation damages DNA
-Breaks in single stranded and double strands of DNA
Breaks in a single strand can be repaired but this can be Inaccurate leading to single base mutations
-Double-strand damage leads to chromosomal breakage Repair can lead to major chromosomal rearrangements
what is UV irradiation is strongly implicated in?
Development of skin cancers :
- basal cell carcinoma
- squamous cell carcinoma
- malignant melanoma
Why is UV light damage limited to the skin?
UV light does not penetrate deeply
what does induced formation of pyrimidine dimers lead to?
base-pair substitution during replication
Describe viruses.
- Long recognised that some viruses can cause cancer
- Different viruses can contribute to the development of cancers in different ways
- Some RNA tumour viruses (retroviruses) contain genes (viral oncogenes) that are directly responsible for malignant transformation in cells
- Viral RNA genome is copied into DNA by the enzyme reverse transcriptase and this is then inserted into host genome
- Viral genes can then influence the expression of adjacent genes
How do viruses act indirectly?
Other viruses act indirectly by causing tissue damage, leading to increased cell proliferation and an increased risk of mutations eg Hepatitis C virus
what are the human papilloma virus (HPV) high risk subtypes?
- Cervical carcinoma, anal carcinoma, penile carcinoma,
- Subset of oropharngeal carcinoma
what is a hepatocellular carcinoma?
Hepatitis B and C
what are other parameters?
Patients: -general health -age -stage at presentation -immunosuppreion Other diseases: -further debility -lower tolerance to treatment Tumour : -factoprs implicit in grading and staging -molecular and biochemical features
Name the host factors .
- Chronic infection
- Hormonal stimulation
- Immunosuppression
- Risk factors
- Genetic predisposition
Describe immune surveillance.
- Cells of the immune system may target tumour cells for destruction.
- Lymphoid infiltrates common in cancer.
- Regression of some cancers, such as melanoma.
- Immunodeficiency states associated with increased risk of some types of cancer.
what type of disease is neoplasia?
genetic disease
what does tumour cells breeding true mean?
the progeny of tumour cells are tumour cells indicating inheritance of properties
what are nearly all carcinogens?
mutagens