causes of cancer KB

Question 1

3 ways alcohol causes cancer

Answer 1

1. acetylaldehyde - damages cells
2. hormonal changes - oestrogen, insulin
3. increased absorption - of harmful chemicals

Question 2

how can UV light cause cancer

Answer 2

UV-B causes sunbrun and damages DNA

UV-A doesn’t cause sunburn but causes free radical formation

Question 3

2 non-melanoma skin cancers

Answer 3

1. basal cell carcinoma - starts in cells lining bottom of epidermis 75%
2. squamous cell carcinoma - starts in cells lining top of epidermis 20%

Question 4

malignant melanoma

Answer 4

rare - 5% of all skin cancers

from UV-A nad UV-B damage

good prognosis if caught early

Tx = surgery

Question 5

diet and cancer

Answer 5

whole foods - dec cancer and CVD mortality

red meat - esp processed, excessive consumption inc colon cancer and ER+ve BC

Vit D - dec risk of cancer

Question 6

hormones and cancer

Answer 6

overstimulation of hormone R can lead to excessive cell multiplication

hormone druven cancers - breast, prostate, gynaecological

Question 7

genetics and cancer

Answer 7

all cancers develop from genetic abnormality

could be change in gene from age/carcinogen

can inherit faulty genes from parents

3-10% cancers inherited gene

Question 8

immune factors causing cancer

Answer 8

immunosuppression can inc incidence of some cancers
- AIDS

Question 9

ionising radiation and cancers

Answer 9

1. excessive background radiation
   - radon gas (Uranium in earth’s crust, atomin bombs, miners, lung cancer)
   - atomic bombs
2. excessive diagnostic radiology exposure
3. therapeutic radiation

Question 10

cancer screening

Answer 10

1. bowel - 60+yrs, every 2 yrs
2. breast - mammogram, 50-70yrs, every 3yrs
3. cervical - 25-64yrs, sample removed tested for HPV/abnormalities, 3yrs until 49 then 5yrs