CE L1 Introduciton

Question 1

Why is cancer so hard to treat?

3

Answer 1

It’s self
Not diagnosed until late (few symptoms)
Need to eradicate every single cell

Question 2

Cancer is cells growing ….. and …..

Answer 2

too fast and too much

Question 3

Cancer is more common in what type of cells?

Why?

Answer 3

Cells with a high turnover

- most mutations are passed on during cell division

Question 4

When do we actually want cells to divide and proliferate? (2)

Answer 4

Growth and repair

Question 5

What is cancer?

Answer 5

Unregulated growth of abnormal cells, often at inappropriate locations

Question 6

What is cancer caused by?

Answer 6

DNA damage - proteins controlling the function of cells are changed

Question 7

Cancer cells appear ….

Answer 7

immature - therefore cannot carry out their function

Question 8

What normally kills you in cancer?

Answer 8

Not the tumour itself but the lack of normal funciton

Question 9

What is missing in cancer that would normally prevent cells from keeping growing once they are touching other cells?

Answer 9

Contact inhibition

Question 10

Tumours are classified according to

Answer 10

tissue of origin

Question 11

Sarcomas
Carcinomas
Leukaemias
Adenocarcinomas
arise from...

Answer 11

Sarcomas - connecting tissue/muscle
Carcinomas - epithlial cells
Leukaemia - blood cell
Adenocarcinomas - glandular tissue

Question 12

Properties of benign tumour (4)

Answer 12

• Resembles normal cells
• Localized
• Surrounded by fibrous capsule
• Usually require little treatment (e.g. warts) - Surgical removal if apprprate

Question 13

Genetic make-up can predispose you to environmental shock e.g.

Answer 13

smoking - some people don’t develop cancer even after many years

Question 14

Properties of malignant tumours: (6)

Answer 14

• less well differentiated
• grow and divide rapidly
• high nucleus to cytoplasm ratio
• invade surrounding tissue
• more difficult to treat as less defined
• enter circulation and metastasis

Question 15

Properties of malignant tumours: (6)

Answer 15

• less well differentiated
• grow and divide rapidly
• high nucleus to cytoplasm ratio
• invade surrounding tissue
• more difficult to treat as less defined
• Metastasis

Question 16

Define metastasis

Answer 16

entering circulating and seeding at a different site

Question 17

Genetic predisposition examples (2)

Answer 17

1. Li-frumeni syndrome

2. Chronic myloid leukemia (CML)

Question 18

What happens in Li-frumeni syndrome?

Answer 18

inherited mutation of one p53 gene. Normally functions as a tumour suppressor. Wild type then mutates and cancers form in childhood

Question 19

What happens genetically in CML

Answer 19

chromosomal translocation

Question 20

Environemental stressors examples (4)

Answer 20

Animal fat in prostate cancer
UV
Radium and oral cancer
Tabacco

Question 21

Many tumour cells have constitutively active pathways thus producing their own….

Answer 21

growth factors

Question 22

What are proto-oncogenes?

Answer 22

sds

Question 23

What are proto-oncogenes?

What happens to them?

Answer 23

genes whose normal function is to control cell growth. Converted into oncogenes by a GAIN OF FUNCTION mutation.

Question 24

3 e.g. of gain of funciton mutations

Answer 24

point mutation - always active
gene amplification - more protein
chromosomal translocation

Question 25

What are oncogenes?

Answer 25

Gene which encodes a protein able to transform cells - derived from proto-oncogene

Question 26

What are tumour suppressor genes (3 functions)

Answer 26

Gene which restrain cell growth, promote cell death and promote DNA repair

Question 27

…………………. of tumour suppressor genes leads to unregulated cell growth of damaged cells

Answer 27

LOSS OF FUNCTION

Question 28

Tumour suppressor genes are dominant or recessive?

Answer 28

Recessive - so both copies must be lost

Question 29

How does hereditary predisposition with tumour suppressor genes work?

Answer 29

You inherit one mutant and later in life the other mutates

Question 30

What is epigenetics?

Answer 30

Gene regulation:

Modifications to genomic and chromatin components and structure - alter gene transcription and hence protein expression

Question 31

What things does epigentics wrok with (3)?

Answer 31

Histom modificate
methylation
miRNA

Question 32

How many changes have taken place to make cancer

Answer 32

3-7 ( cells must survive each one to acquire the next, on different survival pathways)

Question 33

How many changes have taken place to make cancer

Answer 33

3-7 ( cells must survive each one to acquire the next, on different survival pathways)

Question 34

Benign tissue surrounding tumour frequently contains …

Answer 34

all but one of these mutations

Question 35

Will we cure cancer in the future?

Answer 35

more likely to transform it into a long term chronic disease what pt can live with

Question 36

Each cell in the cancer is….

Answer 36

a clone of a single cell

Question 37

Cells taken from the outside of a tumour do/don’t grow into cancer when implanted?

Answer 37

Don’t - indicating stem cells?

Question 38

Once metastasis has occurred prognosis is

Answer 38

poor

Question 39

In order for cells to break off and metastasise what must happen?

Answer 39

breakdown and degradation of the basal lamina (release of MMP and invadopodia)

Question 40

What is a transformed cell?

Answer 40

Survives longer than it should but is not full on caner