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Medical Science > Unit 4 > Flashcards

Unit 4 Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards USMLE® Step 1 flashcards
1
Q

What is cancer?

A

A group of abnormal, rapidly dividing cells that form tumours due to mutations and alterations of the natural cell cycle.

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2
Q

What does each cancer begin with

A

A DNA mutation which triggers a tumour to grow.

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3
Q

What are certain factors that can determine whether you will get cancer in your lifetime

A
  • inherited genetics
  • Lifestyle
  • Diet
  • Pre- existing health conditions
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4
Q

What are carcinoma’s

A

A type of cancer that starts in the outer lining of organs that are damaged often.- skin, stomach and lungs are prone to developing carcinomas. -most common type of cancer, making up 85% of cancer diagnoses.

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5
Q

What are Sarcomas

A

start in connective tissues, such as cartilage between bones, tendons and fibrous tissue. The causes of most of these sarcoma’s aren’t known. Much less common - make up less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses.

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6
Q

What is Leukaemia

A

Causes bone marrow to mass produce faulty white blood cells that don’t function properly.
Can be casued by genetics, down syndrome, HIV, chemical/radiation exposure or tobacco.
uncommon makes up only 3% of cancer diagnoses in the UK.

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7
Q

What are Lymphomas

A

Start in Lymphatic system. Cause is largely unknown. Things that can weaken the immune system can increase the risk of a lymphoma. Make up about 5% of cancer diagnoses.

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8
Q

What are Myelomas

A

Start in plasma cells. The specific cause is unknown. Myelomas are an uncommon type of cancer that make up 1% of diagnoses.

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9
Q

What are Melanomas

A

These start in the skin and can spread to other parts of the body and is caused by excessive exposure to UV radiation, specifically UVN radiation. 5th most common cause of cancer.

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10
Q

What are Brain and Spinal tumours

A

Can inflict damage which may be permanent. Spine = 3rd most common site for secondary tumours, following lungs and liver.

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11
Q

do cancer cells or healthy cells divide more rapidly

A

cancer cells.

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12
Q

what happens when healthy cells become damaged

A

they can choose to repair themselves or kill themselves, cancer cells don’t do this.

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13
Q

How do cancer cells go undetected in the body.

A

make the immune system think that they are healthy cells, by secreting chemicals that deactivate immune cells attempting to destroy or identify them.

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14
Q

What physical appearances of cancer cells are different to healthy cells

A

The nuclei are darker due to the large volume of DNA inside, the shape of cancer cells can also be abnormal.

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15
Q

What is the maturity of cancer cells

A

Cancer cells can only partially mature, this level of maturity corresponds to the degree of maturity which is graded from 1 to 3, with 3 being a more advanced and aggressive form of cancer.

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16
Q

What typically occurs at stage 1 cancers

A

Tumours are small and have not spread at all. This type of cancer is very easy to treat and can be done quickly

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17
Q

What typically occurs at stage 2 cancers

A

Happens when cells start to affect nearby tissue. Tumours now larger and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes. slightly harder to treat but can still be done so quickly and effectively.

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18
Q

What typically occurs at stage 3 cancer

A

Spread to surrounding tissues. These tumours are large and can start redirecting blood flow to them keeping them alive. It may have spread to distant lymph nodes.- difficult to treat and may need more invasive and aggressive treatments.

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19
Q

What are the main 3 treatments for cancer

A

Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Bone Marrow Treatments.

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20
Q

What is chemotherapy

A

Is a a treatment for cancer which uses a mixture of toxic chemicals in small doses to kill cancerous cells.

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21
Q

What does chemotherapy do

A

Stops cancer cells reproducing, preventing them from growing and spreading in the body. Can also be sued to cure the cancer completely, make other treatments more effective or reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.

22
Q

What factors of chemotherapy can cause its effectiveness to vary.

A
  • Location of the tumour.
  • whether the tumour has metastasized.
  • and the size of the tumours present.
23
Q

What ways can chemotherapy be given

A
  • Through injections
  • Through an IV
  • through tablets and physical drugs.
24
Q

What are the negatives of chemotherapy

A

Can cause damage top healthy cells, usually affecting fast dividing cells like hair follicles, epithelial cells, bone marrow cells and reproductive cells.

25
Q

What are some side effects of chemotherapy

A
  • weakened immune system
  • pain
  • infertility
  • fatigue
26
Q

What is Radiotherapy

A

a method of cancer treatment that uses radiation to kill cancer cells.

27
Q

What is the purpose of radiotherapy

A

Can be used to try and cure the cancer completely or make other treatments more effective, perhaps reduce the risk of then cancer coming back after surgery and relives symptoms if a cure is not possible.

28
Q

Which cancer treatment is considered the most effective after surgery

A

Radiotherapy

29
Q

How can radiotherapy be delivered

A

Can be delivered internally or externally.

30
Q

How is radiotherapy delivered internally

A

through a radioactive source being placed on or injected into the tumour.

31
Q

How is radiotherapy delivered externally

A

A medical linear accelerator, ( a device which rotates the around the body), directs a beam of radiation at the tumour.

32
Q

What are the side effects of radiotherapy

A

healthy cells can be damaged, however, the side effects caused by radiotherapy can most commonly be treated and prevented and will most likely stop once the treatment is finished

33
Q

What is bone marrow

A

Bone marrow is the spongey soft tissue that fills the cores of the larger bones.

34
Q

What is the function of bone marrow

A

serves an active function in the body by producing all 3 types of blood cells.

35
Q

Who is the main recipient of bone marrow transplants

A

Typically for patients with life-threatening blood immune or genetic disorders.

36
Q

What are the 5 stages of bone marrow transplants

A
  1. ) Conditioning.
  2. ) Stem cell processing
  3. ) Neutropenic phase
  4. ) Engraftment phase
  5. ) Post engraftment phas
37
Q

What are side effects of bone marrow transplants

A
  • Ulcers and dysfunctionality of GIT occur frequently.
  • Rashes may develop.
  • Hair loss temporarily
38
Q

What is the GVHD graft virus disease

A

occurs with allogenic transplantation, lymphocytes from the donor graft attack the cells of the host - usually be treated with steroids

39
Q

What are some future treatments for cancer

A

Targeted therapies, Immunotherapy and Photodynamic therapy

40
Q

What is targeted therapy

A

The use of drugs and other substances to block the growth ad progression of cancer, by interfering with specific molecules that are involved in growth and progression and spreadof cancer.

41
Q

How do targeted therapies work

A

It works by acting on a specific molecular target associated with cancer.

42
Q

How are targeted therapies specially designed

A

deliberately chosen or designed to interact with their targets

43
Q

What is immunotherapy

A

Immunotherapy enables the immune system top recognise and target cancer cells, universal answer to cancer.

44
Q

Who is immunotherapy typically effective on

A

patients with certain types of cancer that have been resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

45
Q

What is nonspecific immune stimulation

A

type of immunotherapy stimulates patient’s immune response in a general way.

46
Q

What is T-cell transfer therapy

A

t cell=type of immune cells, these cells are taken from a patient and changed in a laboratory to make them better able to target the patient’s cancer cells and kill them. These are then given back to the patient to fight the cancer.

47
Q

What are some of the side effects of immunotherapy

A
  • Skin reaction
  • FLu like symptoms
  • Muscle aches
  • Shortness of breath
  • Swelling of legs
  • Sinus congestion
  • headaches
  • cough
48
Q

What is photodynamic therapy

A

A future treatment for cancer and precancerous conditions such as skin, head and neck , mouth, lung and gullet cancer.

49
Q

How does photodynamic therapy work

A

A light sensitive drug is given. Then wait a few hours to a few days before the next step. - then a special light is shone onto the cancer. Light activates the drug to treat the tumour. If cancer= internal,, ultrasound/ scan used to guide the light source to tumour.

50
Q

What is PDT not suitable for

A

deep basal cell cancers or squamous cells because light cannot penetrate far enough into the skin

51
Q

What are the potential benefits of PDT

A

improved life expectancy and cost/ impact on other services.

52
Q

What are some side effects of PDT

A
  • Swelling at or near the area of skin treated
  • Discolouration of the skin
  • scales, crust or blisters on the skin receiving treatment
  • itching, burning or stinging
  • Skin infections

Medical Science (3 decks)

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