Cancer

Question 1

neoplasm

Answer 1

abnormal cell growth and proliferation which leads t tumor formation

Question 2

benign tumor

Answer 2

neoplastic cells that don’t become invasive

Question 3

malignant tumor

Answer 3

neoplastic cells that invade other parts of the body

Question 4

How do mutations occur?

Answer 4

errors in DNA replication (mispaired bases), environmental (mutagens) like radiation, UV, chemicals

Question 5

Proto-Oncogene

Answer 5

normal cellular gene that can be altered by mutation or overexpression

Question 6

Oncogene

Answer 6

mutated proto-oncogene that gained the ability to transform cells from normal to abnormal growth (gas pedal)

Question 7

Tumor Suppressors

Answer 7

proteins that regulate cell growth (inhibit/prevent uncontrolled growth) (brake pedal)

Question 8

How many mutations are needed to become cancerous?

Answer 8

cancer needs at least 3 mutations

Question 9

How many stages of cancer are there?

Answer 9

4 plus stage 0

Question 10

Stage 0

Answer 10

cancer cells haven’t invaded surrounding tissues

Question 11

Stage I

Answer 11

primary tumor is small but invasive into surrounding tissues

Question 12

Stage II

Answer 12

primary tumor is larger but no evidence of spread

Question 13

Stage III

Answer 13

tumor has spread to lymph nodes in that body region

Question 14

Stage IV

Answer 14

cancer has spread beyond initial region

Question 15

What are the three common cancer treatments?

Answer 15

Surgery, Radiation, Chemo

Question 16

Growth factors and cancer

Answer 16

cancer cells might… 1.) make their own growth factors, 2.) have growth factor pathways stuck on, 3.) trick neighbor cells into producing growth factor

Question 17

Breast cancer

Answer 17

breast cancer HER2 receptors targeted with drug Herceptin

Question 18

How do cancer drugs interact with MAPK Pathway?

Answer 18

they inhibit diff. components of MAPK pathway. Ras mutations can enable Ras to be always active w/out growth factor stimulation

Question 19

How does Taxol inhibit the cell cycle?

Answer 19

it binds to the interior of microtubules, surpassing its growth and assembly therefore blocking cell division

Question 20

Do cancer cells have contact inhibition?

Answer 20

Cancer cells have no contact inhibition due to mutated cadherin proteins

Question 21

tissue invasion and metastasis

Answer 21

membranes of cancer cells lose their adhesiveness, causing them to stick less t each other

Question 22

desmosomes

Answer 22

keep cells fastened together

Question 23

cadherin proteins

Answer 23

commonly down regulated in cancer

Question 24

Why are cancer cells immortal?

Answer 24

their telomerase enzyme expression is increased in malignant cells

Question 25

How do mutations lead to cancer?

Answer 25

G1/S checkpoints are deactivated which increases the cell cycle, Telomerase expression is also increased

Question 26

What is angiogenesis and its relationship to cancer cells?

Answer 26

Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels from preexisting vessels, cancer cells have the ability to perform angiogenesis

Question 27

What controls angiogenesis?

Answer 27

vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a secreted protein that attracts endothelial cells and stimulates new blood vessel growth

Question 28

How do anti-angiogenesis chemo drugs work?

Answer 28

they sequester VEGF or block VEGF receptors or block VEGF receptor activation