Clinical Oncology

Question 1

epithelial cancer

Answer 1

carcinoma

Question 2

cancer cells

Answer 2

divide repeatedly out of control even though they are not needed

crowd out normal cells and function abnormally

Question 3

carcinoma

Answer 3

origin of most human cancer

Question 4

mesenchymal cancer

Answer 4

sarcomas (bone, CT)

Question 5

hematopoetic cancer

Answer 5

hematopoietic malignancies (leukemia, lymphoma)

Question 6

neuroectodermal cancer

Answer 6

glioblastoma, neuroblastoma

Question 7

benign tumour

Answer 7

does not spread from site of origin

grows locally and crowds out surrounding cells, can be pre-cancerous (e.g. warts)

Question 8

malignant tumour

Answer 8

invasive, spreads from original site and causes secondary tumours

metastasis is a characteristic of this tumour

interferes with neighbouring cells and can block blood vessels, gut, glands and lungs

Question 9

hallmarks of cancer

Answer 9

sustaining proliferative signalling
restricting cell death
inducing angiogenesis
enabling replicative immortality
evading growth suppressors
activating invasion and metastasis

Question 10

emerging hallmarks

Answer 10

avoiding immune destruction
deregulating cellular energetics

Question 11

enabling characteristics of cancer

Answer 11

tumour promoting inflammation
genome instability and mutation

Question 12

cancer cell characteristics

Answer 12

• anaplasia
• pleomorphism
• aneuploidy
• atypical mitotic figures
• genetic instability (higher frequency of uncorrected DNA mutations)
• growth factor independence
• loss of cell density dependent on inhibition
• loss of cell cohesiveness and adhesion (reduced tendency to stick together which facilitates invasion and metastasis)
• loss of anchorage dependence
• impaired cell to cell communication
• immortal life span

Question 13

anaplasia

Answer 13

loss of cell differentiation

Question 14

pleomorphism

Answer 14

cells and nuclei show variations in size and shape

Question 15

aneuploidy

Answer 15

abnormal number of chromosomes

Question 16

compromised tissue integrity

Answer 16

compression, erosion, ulceration, necrosis, haemorrhage

produce enzymes and metabolic toxins which affect healing process

invasion of cavities and accumulation of fluids

obstruction of lymphatic flow

Question 17

mortality rate cancer

Answer 17

3 in 10 deaths in Australia

Question 18

most common diagnosed cancer

Answer 18

prostate cancer

Question 19

most common cancer cause of mortality

Answer 19

lung cancer

Question 20

unmodifiable risk factors

Answer 20

age, gender, genetic factors (gene mutations, family history)

Question 21

modifiable risk factors

Answer 21

smoking, alcohol, obesity, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, physical carcinogens, chemical carcinogens and biological carcinogens

Question 22

cause of cancer

Answer 22

genetic changes inherited or arise during person’s lifetime as result of errors during cell division or damage to DNA caused by certain environmental exposures

Question 23

mutagen

Answer 23

a physical or chemical agent which brings about a mutation

Question 24

carcinogen

Answer 24

any agent that causes cancer

ionising radiation (x-rays, UV), chemicals, virus infections

Question 25

gene

Answer 25

sequence of nucleotides in DNA that codes for molecule that has a function

Question 26

oncogene

Answer 26

gene that can cause cancer

Question 27

proto-oncogene

Answer 27

normal gene that could become an oncogene through mutation, increase protein expression or chromosomal abnormality

Question 28

tumour suppressor gene

Answer 28

protects cell from cancer functions include regulation of transcription, DNA repair, cell cycle and metastasis suppressor

Question 29

cancer stem cells

Answer 29

ability to give rise to all cell types found in a cancer

Question 30

carcinogenesis initiation

Answer 30

DNA-altering event initiates cell - alters its growth characteristics and predisposes for later carcingenic conversion

Question 31

carcinogenesis promotion

Answer 31

progeny of initiated cell displays modified growth

Question 32

carcinogenesis transformation

Answer 32

single cell in the clone undergoes transformation event to become a cancer cell, which expands within the host tissues to become overt disease

Question 33

carcinogenesis progression

Answer 33

further changes increase cell proliferation, promoting tumour invasion and metastasis

Question 34

angiogenesis

Answer 34

formation of new blood vessels regulated by endothelial cells

Question 35

metastasis

Answer 35

spread of malignant cancer (lymphatic or hemogenic) dependent on ability of cells to be released from primary tumour and ability to breakdown extracellular matrix

Question 36

metastasis process

Answer 36

1. primary tumour formation 2. localised invasion 3. intravasion - interaction with platelets, lymphocytes, and blood components 4. transport through circulation 5. arrest in microvessels of organs 6. extravasation 7. formation of micometastasis 8. colonisation - formation of macrometastasis

Question 37

normal cell transformation

Answer 37

1. DNA of normal cell 2 mutation of DNA 3. genetically altered cell 4. spread and second mutation 5. third mutation 6. fourth mutation q