Pathoma: Carcinogenesis

Question 1

Hepatocellular carcinoma, in some parts of the world the most common kind of cancer, results from __________.

Answer 1

aflatoxins secreted by Aspergillus mold

Question 2

Alcohol increases the risk of _________.

Answer 2

squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx and esophagus as well as pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Question 3

Arsenic increases the risk of ___________.

Answer 3

squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, angiosarcoma of the liver, and lung cancer

Question 4

Those exposed to asbestos are more likely to get ______ than mesothelioma.

Answer 4

lung cancer

Question 5

In addition to lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and oropharyngeal cancer, smoking also increases your risk of _________.

Answer 5

kidney and bladder cancer, because the carcinogens found in cigarettes get concentrated in the urine

Question 6

Two things increase the risk of angiosarcoma of the liver: _________.

Answer 6

vinyl chloride and arsenic

Question 7

What cancers does EBV predispose you to?

Answer 7

Burkitt lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (particularly in Chinese and African males), and CNS lymphoma in AIDS

Question 8

How does nasopharyngeal present?

Answer 8

Often with a neck mass, because it quickly metastasizes to cervical lymph nodes

Question 9

HBV and HCV raise risk of ________.

Answer 9

hepatocellular carcinoma

Question 10

Which virus causes Kaposi sarcoma?

Answer 10

HHV-8

Question 11

What cancers does HPV predispose women to?

Answer 11

Squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva, vagina, cervix, and anus as well as adenocarcinoma of the cervix

Question 12

Ionizing radiation raises risk of _________.

Answer 12

AML, CML, and papillary carcinoma of the thyroid

Question 13

UVB is _______ radiation.

Answer 13

nonionizing

Question 14

Herceptin’s generic name is ___________.

Answer 14

trastuzumab

Question 15

What is done in patients with RET mutations?

Answer 15

Thyroidectomy, because RET is a growth factor receptor that is stimulated by thyroid-secreted hormones

Question 16

What is GAP?

Answer 16

GTPase-associated protein, a protein that helps Ras hydrolyze GTP

Question 17

What chromosomes and genes are associated with Burkitt lymphoma?

Answer 17

t(8;14) and c-MYC

Question 18

Which chromosome is IgH on?

Answer 18

14

Question 19

p53 and Rb are __________.

Answer 19

tumor suppressors

Question 20

If a cell’s DNA is not ready for S phase, how does p53 induce apoptosis?

Answer 20

It activates BAX gene, which then destroys BCL2, leading to leakage of cytochrome C from mitochondria that activate caspase 9

Question 21

Which checkpoint do p53 and Rb regulate?

Answer 21

G1 to S

Question 22

What does E2F do?

Answer 22

It is a transcription factor for proteins that allow the cell to progress to S phase. It is bound to unphosphorylated Rb.

Question 23

What proteins phosphorylate Rb?

Answer 23

Cyclin D and CDK4

Question 24

Those with hereditary retinoblastoma are also at increased risk of __________.

Answer 24

osteosarcoma

Question 25

Cancer cells usually have upregulated ______, an enzyme necessary for immortality.

Answer 25

telomerase