Unit 6: Cancer Flashcards
What is a contagious cancer on the verge of wiping out Tasmanian Devils?
Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD).
How is DFTD transferred from one Tasmanian Devil to another?
The most plausible route of transmission is
through biting.
How do clams get cancer?
Contagious cancer passes through water into clams.
What type of cancer is contagious in dogs?
Canine transmissible venereal tumors (CTVTs) or Sticker’s sarcoma.
How is CTVT passed through dogs?
Spread by tumor cells getting passed from
dog to dog through sex or from animals
biting or licking each other.
Sharks _____ get cancer.
Sharks do get cancer, but not very often.
What is a common misconception about shark cartilage?
Misconception is promoted in part by those who sell shark cartilage, who claim that the substance will help cure cancer.
Naked mole rats do not get cancer.
Naked mole rats don’t (usually) get cancer.
What do researchers speculate the naked mole rats have that helped them evolve?
Researchers speculate that naked mole rats evolved higher concentrations of HA in the skin to provide the skin elasticity needed for life in underground tunnels.
Some __________ appear to prevent cancer in humans.
Some genetic mutations
appear to prevent cancer in humans.
What syndrome has helped people have a reduced risk of cancer?
People with Laron syndrome have a significantly reduced risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes.
What protein does p53 trigger to buy time for DNA repair?
During the G1 checkpoint, p53 triggers production of Cdk inhibitor (CKI) proteins. The CKI proteins bind to Cdk-cyclin complexes needed to move to the S phase, buying time
for DNA repair.
If DNA cannot be repaired, what does p53 trigger?
p53’s second job is to activate DNA repair enzymes. If DNA damage is not fixable, p53 will trigger programmed cell death so damaged DNA is not passed on.
____ is an important ____________ that is often ______ in some cancers.
p53 is an important tumor suppressor protein that is often mutated in some cancers.
What is cancer?
Cancer is the uncontrolled and inappropriate growth of cells.
What is a benign tumor?
A tumor that remains in the spot where it grew and usually are not dangerous unless it presses on other organs.
What is malignant tumor?
A tumor that can
invade surrounding tissue and spread.
What is a metastatic tumor?
A second tumor caused when cells from the primary tumor move through the body to colonize a new site.
What is cancer characterized by?
Cancer is a group of disorders characterized by the overgrowth of cells in different organs or tissues of the body.
Cancer is not one ______ with a single cause, but all have common __________.
Cancer is not one disease with a single cause, but all have common properties.
What is sustained cell division as a property of cancer cells?
Cancer cells don’t follow the ‘rules’ of normal
cells in a tissue. Cancer cells divide uncontrollably with no signals needed.
What is evading cell death as a property of cancer cells?
Normal cells die if their DNA has been damaged so badly that it cannot be repaired. Cancer cells can escape this death.
What is apoptosis?
A damaged cell commits suicide by an orderly destruction of the cell without causing an inflammatory response.
What is limitless replicative potential as a property of cancer cells?
Cancer cells don’t follow the ‘rules’ of normal cells in a tissue. Cancer cells display a ‘transformed’ phenotype in tissues.
What is angiogenesis as a property of cancer cells?
Cancer cells can recruit blood vessels to themselves, allowing a tumor to grow beyond a certain small size.
What is invasion and metastasis as a property of cancer cells?
Cancer cells invade surrounding tissues and are transported through the circulatory system. Can grow and reinvade in new location.
What are mutagens?
Most of the chemicals or environmental factors known to increase the risk for cancer are known to be mutagens.
Most cancers are caused by _________ in the genome
Most cancers are caused by mutations in the genome.
Cancer is mostly a _______ disease in
humans.
Cancer is mostly a genetic disease in humans.
What are the four main causes of cancer?
- Some viruses or bacteria.
- Some chemicals
- heredity diet hormones
- Radiation
What are some environmental factors you should avoid to prevent cancer? (4 things)
- Avoid carcinogens (chemicals) at work.
- UV radiation in sunlight.
- Limit fats and calories (red meat consumption)
- Avoid tobacco
What virus is associated with cancer?
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs). HPV infection increases the risk for cervical cancer.
Virtually all _________ are caused by ________.
Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by human papilloma virus.
What can people do to avoid contracting HPV?
Public health officials recommend vaccination (age 13 – 26) against HPV to prevent certain types of cancer.
Mutations in cells that give rise to _____ and _____ (germline) can
predispose you to getting certain type of _____ at a ______
frequency than the general population.
Mutations in cells that give rise to eggs and sperm (germline) can predispose you to getting certain type of cancers at a greater
frequency than the general population.
What genetic mutation puts women at a higher risk for getting breast and ovarian cancer?
BRCA1 and BRCA2
What is retinoblastoma?
A cancer of the eye
What puts people at greater risk of retinoblastoma?
These patients
were usually young,
and had relatives with
this cancer.
What is Xeroderma Pigmentosum?
Human syndrome in which individuals cannot repair damage due to UV light. Is genetically inherited.
