Patho: Ch. 11 Cancer, Epidemiology, & Treatment

Question 1

Ecogenetics

Answer 1

Study of how the environment interacts w/ genetics

How this may cause things like diseases

Question 2

Xenobiotics

Answer 2

Chemicals that aren’t found in nature (man-made)

Some are mutagens or carcinogens

Question 3

Mutagen

Answer 3

Anything that causes a mutation or change in DNA

Question 4

Carcinogen

Answer 4

Anything that causes cancer

Most carcinogens are mutagens, but not all

Question 5

Carcinogen Examples

Answer 5

• Tobacco use
• Ionizing & Non-ionizing radiation
• Electromagnetic fields (EMF)
• Air pollution
• Obesity
• Alcohol consumption
• Sexual behaviors

Question 6

Tobacco Use

Answer 6

• Carcinogen
• Not the nicotine as much as the other compounds

Question 7

Ionizing Radiation

Answer 7

• Harsh radiation used as an antimicrobial
• Carcinogen

EX: X-rays, gamma rays

Question 8

Non-Ionizing Radiation

Answer 8

• Common form of radiation used as an antimicrobial
• Carcinogen

EX: UV rays (b/c of thymine dimers)

Question 9

Electromagnetic Fields

Answer 9

• Carcinogen when exposed to long periods of time

Question 10

Air Pollution

Answer 10

• Carcinogens in the air
• Some xenobiotic compunds in air pollutants

Question 11

Obesity

Answer 11

Secondary problems w/ obesity are carcinogenic

EX: chronic inflammation

Question 12

Alcohol Consumption

Answer 12

Secondary effects of alcohol are carcinogenic

EX: liver, upper GI tract (esophagus, stomach) b/c chronic inflammation

Question 13

Sexual Behaviors

Answer 13

Not the behaviors themselves are carcinogenic but there is a high risk of speading pathogens that are carcinogenic

EX: HPV, chronic inflammation

Question 14

CLinical Manifestations of Cancer

Answer 14

• Pain
• Fatigue
• Cachexia
• Early dietary satiety
• Anemia
• Leukopenia
• Thrombocytopenia
• Increased incidence of infections
• Paraneoplastic syndromes

Question 15

Reason for Clinical Manifestation of Fatigue in Cancer

Answer 15

Cancer cells steal nutrients from the rest of the body, meaning that they also steal energy

Question 16

Cachexia

Answer 16

Frail, wasted appearance

Weight loss

Question 17

Reason for Clinical Manifestation of Cachexia in Cancer

Answer 17

Cancer cells steal nutrients from the rest of the body, meaning that they also steal energy

Question 18

Dietary Satiety

Answer 18

Decrease in apetite, people feel fuller quicker

Small meals = full

Question 19

Anemia

Answer 19

Low RBCs

Question 20

Reason for Clinical Manifestation of Anemia in Cancer

Answer 20

• The result of having cancer before treatment since cancer impedes the growth of stem cells
• Cancer cells steal nutrients from the rest of the body, RBCs decrease

Question 21

Leukopenia

Answer 21

Low WBCs

Question 22

Reason for Clinical Manifestation of Leukopenia in Cancer

Answer 22

• The result of having cancer before treatment since cancer impedes the growth of stem cells
• Cancer cells steal nutrients from the rest of the body, WBCs decrease

Question 23

Thrombocytopenia

Answer 23

Low thrombocytes (platelets)

Question 24

Reason for Clinical Manifestation of Thrombocytopenia in Cancer

Answer 24

• The result of having cancer before treatment since cancer impedes the growth of stem cells
• Cancer cells steal nutrients from the rest of the body, platelets decrease

Question 25

Reason for Clinical Manifestation of an Increase in Infection Incidents in Cancer

Answer 25

* More prone for infections b/c cancer patients have a lower immunity * Leukopenia, cancer cells stealing energy

Question 26

Paraneoplastic Syndromes

Answer 26

* The unexplained things that certain people w/ cancer can experience * Usually the nervous system but not limited to the NS | Pain sensations, physical sensations, cognition

Question 27

Treatment of Cancer

Answer 27

Chemotherapy

Question 28

Chemotherapy

Answer 28

The use of chemicals as treatment for a disease

Question 29

Single Agent Chemotherapy

Answer 29

Using a single chemical agent to treat someone w/ disease

Question 30

Combination Chemotherapy

Answer 30

Using multiple chemical agents to treat someone w/ disease

Question 31

Principle of Dose Intensity

Answer 31

Principle that when the more of an agent is used for treatment then the more likely you are to see a result

Question 32

Therapeutic Index

Answer 32

The minimum amount of an agent needed to see the intended effects

Question 33

Toxic Dose

Answer 33

The minimum amount of an agent needed to see toxic results

Question 34

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Answer 34

* Start w/ chemotherapeutic agents * Surgery follows | Hope is that surgery is easier w/ smaller tumor

Question 35

Primary Surgery

Answer 35

* Start w/ surgery * Chemotherapy follows

Question 36

Anti-Mitotics

Answer 36

An agent that inhibits mitosis

Question 37

Reason That Anti-Mitotics Are Used as a Chemotherapeutic

Answer 37

Cancer cells are the cells going through mitosis the quickest so an anti-mitotic would inhibit these cells the most * Also affects other cells like hair, skin, bone marrow stem cells, & cells lining GI tract

Question 38

Anti-Angiogenics

Answer 38

An agent that inhibits blood vessel formation

Question 39

Reason That Anti-Angiogenics Are Used as a Chemotherapeutic

Answer 39

Cancer secretes a lot of angiogenic factors to form blood vessels to grow so an anti-angiogenic would inhibit these cells the most

Question 40

Treatment for Cancer

Answer 40

* Radiation * Surgery * Hormonal therapy * Immunotherapy * Iatrogenic metastasis

Question 41

Radiation

Answer 41

A treatment for cancer by using energy given off matter in form of rays or high-speed particles | EX: X-rays, gamma-rays, UV-rays

Question 42

Surgery

Answer 42

A treatment for cancer * Better option if tumor is benign as opposed to malignant

Question 43

Meaning of "margins" in context of surgery

Answer 43

The edges of the cavity left behind when a tumor is removed * Clean = no cancer cells are left behind

Question 44

Hormonal Therapy