Cancer

Question 1

What is cancer?

Answer 1

When abnormal cells divide in uncontrolled way

Question 2

How does a tumour form?

Answer 2

When gene changes make cells and it begins to multiply too much forming a growth

Question 3

Primary tumour

Answer 3

Site where cancer starts

Question 4

Secondary tumour

Answer 4

Cancer spreads to another part of body

Question 5

Benign tumour

Answer 5

Usually slow growing and doesn’t spread to other parts of the body. Main issue if it grows too big as it can be painful, release hormones or press on organs

Question 6

Malignant tumour

Answer 6

Made up of cancer cells which grow faster and spread into surrounding tissue and lymph nodes/bloodstream

Question 7

What is angiogenesis

Answer 7

Tumour sends out signals called antigenic factors which encourage new blood vessels to grow into tumour. Tumour can’t grow without this.

Question 8

anti angiogenic drugs

Answer 8

Stop cancers growing their own blood vessels meaning they stop growing or shrink it

Question 9

How faulty genes lead to cancer

Answer 9

Mutations in genes means cells no longer understand instructions to destroy faulty cells. This means they can divide and multiply which forms tumour

Question 10

Risk factors faulty genes leading to cancer

Answer 10

-smoking
-radiation
-sun radiation
-some foods
-chemicals
-genetics

Question 11

TNM: T

Answer 11

Size of cancer

Question 12

TNM: N

Answer 12

Whether cancer has spread to lymph nodes

Question 13

TNM: M

Answer 13

Whether cancer has spread to another part of body

Question 14

How many stages of cancer?

Answer 14

4

Question 15

Cancer grade

Answer 15

Indicates how cancer behaves. Low grade means slow growing and less spreading

Question 16

Impact of SACT treatment on blood cells

Answer 16

Can lower white, red cells and platelets in blood. This is as they mature in bone marrow. SACT treatments sometimes slow down this production.

Question 17

SACT impact on immune system

Answer 17

White blood cells made in bone marrow, which treatment might be slowing down so less of them

Question 18

Neutropenic sepsis

Answer 18

Whole body reaction to infection. Low level of neutrophils and infection at same time

Question 19

Vesicant

Answer 19

Highly reactive chemical that when react with body’s tissue causes cellular changes and damage skin.

Question 20

How does chemo work?

Answer 20

Kills fast growing cells to eliminate cancer cells. Can also affect hair, cells that line gut and bone marrow cells

Question 21

Cytotoxic

Answer 21

Toxic to cells

Question 22

Neo-adjuvant

Answer 22

Chemo, radio or hormone therapy given before surgery to shrink tumour

Question 23

Adjuvant

Answer 23

Treatment given after surgery to mop up cells

Question 24

Palliative care

Answer 24

Therapeutic treatment to slow down cancer and reduce side effects

Question 25

Immunotherapy

Answer 25

Treatments that use the immune system to find and attack cancer cells. Cancer cells can hide from immune system so these treatments “uncloak” them. Example of this is checkpoint inhibitors.

Question 26

Carcinomas

Answer 26

Cells in external and internal body surfaces e.g lungs, breast

Question 27

Sarcomas

Answer 27

Cancer cells in supporting tissue (fat, connective tissue, muscle, bone)

Question 28

Lymphomas

Answer 28

Cancer of immune cells

Question 29

Leukaemia

Answer 29

Cancer of white cells and bone marrow

Question 30

Most common cancer in men

Answer 30

Prostate

Question 31

Most common cancer women

Answer 31

Breast

Question 32

Most common cancer men and women

Answer 32

Lung

Question 33

Proliferation

Answer 33

The ability of the cell to copy and divide

Question 34

Differentiation

Answer 34

The ability of the cell to look like its parent cell. Tumour cells which look more like parent cells grow slower. Undifferentiated cells tend to be more aggressive.

Question 35

Carcinogens

Answer 35

Things which can cause cancer, such as tobacco smoke, pollution

Question 36

Gene which can cause cancer

Answer 36

BRACA l/ll

Question 37

4 characteristics cancer

Answer 37

No differentiation Proliferation Metastasis Invade normal cells

Question 38

How is cancer diagnosed?

Answer 38

History Physical exam X ray CT scan PET scan Biopsy Blood tests