Cumulative Final-Oncology (Mabe/Dykhuizen) Flashcards
(104 cards)
3 requirements for cancer
- Uncontrolled cell growth
- Tissue invasion
- Metastases (spreading to other parts of body)
Hallmarks of cancer
- Sustaining proliferative signaling
- Resisting cell death
- Genome instability and mutation
- Inducing or accessing vasculature
- Activating invasion and metastasis
- Enabling replicative immortality
- Avoiding immune destruction
Carcinoma definition
Squamous epithelial origin
Adenocarcinoma definition
Glandular epithelial origin
Sarcoma definition
Mesenchymal origin (bone, fat, muscle)
Lymphoma/leukemia definition
Hematopoietic origin
Melanoma
Pigment-producing cell origin
Blastoma
Precursor cells (mainly in children)
Teratoma
Germ cell
Oncogene
-Contributes to cancer development
-Activation of proto-oncogenes is DOMINANT allele
Examples of oncogenes
-Scr
-HER2
-EGFR
Tumor suppressor
-Normally prevents cancer
-Heterozygous mutation often transmitted as germ-line mutations (associated with heritable forms of cancer)
-Loss of function mutations are RECESSIVE
Examples of tumor supressors
-Retinoblastoma (Rb)
-BRCA
Importance of genomics in cancer
-Some cancers run in families (BRCA, Rb)
-Genetic profiling of individual cancers may predict effective tx
-Tumor suppression mutations (BRCA) can indicate tumor/cancer, but does NOT guarantee it!
Explain the roles of BRCA and PARP and how mutations may impact these
-BRCA and PARP are tumor suppressors that repair DNA
-To inhibit a cell from replicating, BRCA and PARP must be inhibited
-1 mutant mutation with BRCA indicates a high correlation of breast cancer
-Many times, a natural mutation will inhibit BRCA, so we use PARP inhibitors must be used
Specific drug used for BRCA mutations
**Remember, we want to inhibit PARP so both, BRCA and PARP, are inhibited to prevent proliferation and replication
-Olaparib (PARP inhibitor)
Importance of mitogenic signals in cancer
May enable tumor growth
Importance of cell cycle in cancer
DNA damage/mitosis may lead to cancer and cause a cell to continue to proliferate uncontrollably
What is ALWAYS a problem in drug tx?
RESISTANCE
Major mechanisms of resistance
- Change in binding pocket – drug no longer fits (decreased pro-drug activation)
- Upregulation of protein that the drug is targeting
- Target amplification and mutation (increased detoxification of drug)
- Multi-drug resistant transporters (pump drugs out of cell)
- Reduced transport into cell
What substrates did we learn that are NOT substrates for multi-drug resistant transporters?
- Resistance to gefitinib: Osimertinib
- Resistance to BCR-Abl T315I: Ponatinib
Dose-limiting toxicities
- Hematopoietic – infections
- Platelets – hemostasis
- RBC – anemia
- GI – N/V; loss of appetite
Combination chemotherapy
-Want differing MOA + differing toxicities
-Common combo tx
1. Cyclophosphamide (alkylating agent)
2. Doxorubicin (topo inhibitor)
3. Vincristine (microtubule inhibitor)
4. Prednisone (steroid)
What is the most common side effect for patients receiving chemotherapy?
Nausea/Vomiting