P.COLOGY1: Cancer Physiology Flashcards
What is cancer?
Group of diseases
Characterised by abnormal cell growth through which cells can spread from site of origin (primary tumour) to other sites in the body (2ndary tumours)
What is tumour growth dependent on?
- Delivery of nutrients
- O2 via increased vascular supply (angiogenesis)
Name the types of tumours
- Benign
- Malignant
Describe a benign tumour
- Cells well-differentiated
- Slow-growing
- Encapsulated (grow in a contained area)
- Does not metastasize (spread)
Describe a malignant tumour
- Cells poorly-differentiated
- Fast-growing (frequent cell division)
- Intravasation (cancer cells entering bloodstream), stop @ distant size + spreads
Name the classes of cancer
- Carcinoma
- Sarcoma
- Lymphoma
- Leukaemia
List the causes of caner
- Diet
- Weight
- Sunlight
- Physical activity
- Body weight
- Tobacco
- Hormones
- Occupational carcinogens
- Medical treatment
- Pollution
- Genetic factors
What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
- Cough haemotysis
- Chest pain
- Breathlessness
- Tiredness
What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
- Weight loss
- Stomach/back pain
- Jaundice
- Diabetes development
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
- Lump
- Breast size changes
- Discharge
- Bleeding
- Weight loss
What makes a cell metastatic?
- Mutagenic initiation
- Point mutations
- Chromosomal mutations
- Epigenetic alterations
Outline the metastatic cascade
Describe characteristics of cancer cells
Outline normal angiogenesis
Outline properties of metastatic cells
-
local invasion into vasculature
- loss of cell adhesion
- gain of alternate adhesion
-
survival in a vessel
- selectins
- plateletW-enhanced metastatic spread
- arrest @ distant size
- extravasation
- growth of 2ndary tumour + angiogenesis
Why is vessel formation important?
- Gas exchange
- Nutrient delivery
- Disposal of metabolic waste
What is vasculogenesis?
Differentiation + activation of endothelial cells with proliferation, migration, alignment, tube formation, branching + remodelling
- confined to embryogenesis
What is angiogenesis?
Formation of new vessels from pre-existing vasculature enabling vascularisation of an avascular region
- Normal process
- development
- menstrual cycle
- wound healing
- response to disease
Highjacked in cancer (required for tumour growth beyond 1 mm)
What is the difference between normal angiogenesis + pathological angiogenesis?
What are the main goals of cancer therapy?
Curative
Maintenance
Palliative
Describe characteristics of cancer cells
- Stop depending on external signals for growth
- Ignore signals telling them not to grow
- Avoid cell suicide
- Grow indefinitely
- Stimulate angiogenesis
- Disturbs normal metabolism
- Promote inflammation + activation of immune response
- Initiate metastasis
