Topic 6 - Neoplasia Flashcards
What is Neoplasia?
Abnormal Cell growth
–> Can be Benign or malignant
What are carcinomas?
Cancer of epithelial cells
What is the most common kind of cancer?
Carcinoma (>90% of cancers, accounts for 80% of deaths)
What are adenocarcinomas?
Cancer of secretory epithelia
e.g., lung, colon, breast, pancreas, stomach, esophagus, prostate, endometrium, ovary
What is squamous cell carcinoma?
Cancer of protective cell layers
–> e.g., skin, nasal cavity, oropharynx, lung, esophagus, cervix
What are sarcomas?
Cancer in bone, connective tissue, and muscle
How common are sarcomas?
They account for 1% of tumors
What is leiomyosarcoma?
Cancer of smooth muscle
What is Rhabdomyosarcoma?
Cancer of skeletal muscle
What is angiosarcoma?
Cancer of the lymph lining of vessels
What are neuroectodermal malignancies?
Cancer that originates in neuroectoderm tissue
What is the most common form of neuroectodermal malignancy?
Glioblastoma - cancer of glial cells
What is leukemia?
Cancer present in bone marrow, circulates in blood
What is lymphoma?
Cancer that originates in lymph tissue and is confined to lymph nodes + tissue
What are myelogenous leukemias?
Cancers from the myeloid progenitor branch that originate in bone marrow
What are lymphocytic leukemias?
Cancers from the lymphoid progenitor branch that originate in lymph.
Where do chronic leukemias arise from?
Mature cells, and they therefore have a slow progression
What is CML?
Chronic myelogenous leukemia
When is the onset typical onset of CML? What at typical common characteristics of it?
Onset around 40-50 years
–> Typically granulocytic leukemia containing the Philedelphia chromosome
What is the Philadelphia chromosome?
A change in the BCR gene to produce BCR-ABL
–> BCR is expressed in high levels in most cells
–> ABL modulates cell growth
When expressed together, this fusion produces a powerful oncogene: cells with high expression of a gene that codes for cell growth (very fast growing cells)
Associated with CML
How is CML treated?
Chronic myelogenous leukemia is treated with imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
Bone marrow transplant, and limited use of standard chemotherapy.
From where do most acute leukemias arise? At what age is their onset?
Arises early in immature cells
–> 80% are acute myeloid leukemias
–> Mostly onset before 60 years
What is M2/M3 leukemia?
Acute promyelocytic leukemia
How is acute leukemia treated?
Chemotherapy
Which kind of leukemia can be successfully treated with retinoic acid?
M2/M3 - Acute promyelocytic Leukemia
What is the prognosis for M0/M1 Leukemia?
The prognosis for undifferentiated acute myeloblastic leukemia is poor due due rapid disease progression.
Chronic Lymphoid Leukemia (CLL)
–> What kind of cell causes most cases?
–> When is onset and how does it progress?
–> Symptoms?
Causes most frequently by B cells
Onset 60-70 years, with slow progression.
Patients often present with fatigue and weight loss, with eventual lymphadenopathy.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma (ALL)
–> What kinds of cells usually cause it?
–> What age does it usually affect and what is the prognosis?
–> Symptoms?
80% B cell and 20% T cell
It is the most common malignancy in children 3-7, and has a good prognosis with treatment, especially the pre-B cell subtypes.
It also occurs in those 40-50 years, with a worse prognosis.
Rapid onset of symptoms: Bone pain, bruising, fever, infection.
What is lymphedenopathy?
Swelling of the lymph nodes
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is accounts by what percent of lymphoma?
30%
What is characteristic of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma? How is it treated? What is the prognosis?
Characterized by Reed-Sternberg cell, derived from B cells.
This kind of cancer metastasizes along continuous lymph nodes - but is usually first evident in cervical lymph nodes.
Treated with localized radiation/chemotherapy.
If caught early, 90% of patients survive 10 more years
What are Reed-Sternberg cells?
A type of multinucleated cells derived from B cells. Associated with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma can be organized into how many subgroups?
Four subtypes - depending on numbers of different inflammatory cells present.
How many subgroups can Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma be sorted into?
15-20, depending on characteristics
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma:
Involves which kind of cells?
When is onset and what is the prognosis?
Involved B, T and NK cells with no evidence of Reed-Sternberg cells
Adult onset with variable prognosis and treatment because many patients present with advanced disease
Genetics play a role in cancer, but what is the biggest factor impacting cause of cancer for most individuals?
Modifiable risk factors - such a diet and lifestyle
What kind of cancer can tobacco use be related to?
Lung, bladder, and kidney
What kind of cancers are high-fat, low fiber, and broiled/fried foods related to?
Bowel, pancreas, prostate and breast cancers.
What are the basic building blocks of DNA?
Cytosine, Thymine, Adenine, and Guanine.
What are codons? What identifiable pattern is present for most of them?
Codons are triplets of DNA bases that code for amino acids.
The first 1-2 bases on most codons are the same - this provides some leeway for mutations
What is a point mutation?
Occurs in a genome when a single base pair is added, deleted or changed.
What kind of mutation is a base deamiantion?
A point mutation
What happens when cytosine undergoes base deamination?
It becomes Uracil.
Uracil is not part of DNA, so the DNA must be repaired if it is present. The process of replacing damaged bases repeatedly can overwhelm the system designed to fix it, which can result in the wrong base being placed instead of the uracil.
What are ROS?
Reactive Oxygen Species
Independent molecules containing an oxygen that are capable of causing direct damage to bases and DNA.
e.g., hydroxyl radical (OH-), superoxide anion (O2-)