Blue Book: Aetiology Agents

Question 1

What is a known carcinogen agent for

a) Burkitt’s Lymphoma?
b) leukemia

Answer 1

a) Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)

b) radiation

Question 2

Name the main categories of etiological agents that can cause cancer.

Answer 2

1) Inherited
2) Chemical
3) Physical
3) Infective
4) Environment/exposure
5) Diet
6) Drugs
7) Immune deficiency

Question 3

What familial cancers are caused by germline deletions of one allele and mutation in the remaining allele?

Answer 3

Neurofibromatosis
Adenomatous polyposis coli
Familial breast cancer (BRCA1 & BRCA2)
Von-Hippel Lindau syndrome

Question 4

Mutations in p53 gene causes which cancer syndrome?

Answer 4

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome

Question 5

Name the cancers associated with these chemicals:

a) cigarrete smoke
b) aromatic amines
c) Benzene
d) wood dust
e) vinyl chloride

Answer 5

a) p53 tumour suppressor gene
b) bladder cancer
c) leukemia
d) nasal adenocarcinoma
e) angiosacromas

Question 6

Which type of cancer does a low fibre diet cause? And by which mechanism?

Answer 6

Colorectal cancer. Slows the transit time through the bowel thus increasing exposure to carcinogenic substances.

Question 7

What diet related cancer do Japanese people get?

Answer 7

Smoked food → Gastric cancer

Question 8

Cytotoxic drugs can cause characteristic translocations by inducing …… inhibitor leading to acute leukaemia. Name the inhibitor.

Answer 8

topoisomerase inhibitor

Question 9

a) Which HPV virus can inactivate p53?
b) Via which intermediate protein?
c) Which cancers does this commonly cause

Answer 9

a) HPV16
b) E6 protein
c) Cervical and Anal

Question 10

a) Epstein Barr Virus is associated with which cancer

b) By which most common genetic mechanism?

Answer 10

a) non-hodgkin’s lymphoma (and other lymphomas)
b) EBNA ( EB nuclear antigen) → 14:8 translocation → porto-oncogene on chromosome 8 (c-myc) become contronlled by immunoglobulin genes of chromosome 14

Question 11

Hep B is associated with which cancer

b) how much is the risk ↑

Answer 11

hepatocellular cancer

b) 100 x

Question 12

HTLV1 (a retrovirus) causes which cancer?

By which mechanism?

Answer 12

T-Cell Lymphoma

b) over expression of oncogene

Question 13

H Pylori is associated with which cancer

Answer 13

Mucosal associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) tumours.

Question 14

Describe which and how immune deficiencies can cause cancer.

Answer 14

The immune system is involved in tumour surveillance.

1) Drugs causing immunodeficiency
2) Infections: HIV
3) congenital abnormality of immune system: particularly T cells