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Cancer Research > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

Why is cancer sorted into stages?

A

Provide common language descriptions for the patient, family, and medial team.

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2
Q

What is TNM and what does it stand for?

A

A type of system for cancer staging
TUMOR description, regional lymph NODES, distant METASTASIS

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3
Q

How many stages of cancer are in the TNM staging system, describe them

A

5 stages. 4 is the highest/worst and 0 is the lowest/best. 0 means cancer just started and not yet invaded nearby tissue. 4 means metastasis has occurred all through the body

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4
Q

Characteristic of Stage 0

A

Clusters of tumor cells have been identified, they have not invaded nearby or distant tissues yet, and not termed tumor.

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5
Q

T or F: as the cancer stage number increases so does the size of the tumor in the distance the cancer has spread from the origin site

A

True

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6
Q

Which stage of cancer indicates the tumor has spread to distant parts of the body?

A

Stage 4 (lV)

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7
Q

When cancer staging could occur (description & term)

A

After a biopsy is taken, and the doctor has identified cancer cells. If someone is termed to have cancer staging can occur to describe size and the spread of the tumor.

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8
Q

Characteristics of a tumor: in situ meaning

A

Abnormal cells are present in the body, but if not spread to nearby tissue

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9
Q

Characteristics of a tumor: localized

A

Cancer is limited to a place where it started with the sign that it has spread

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10
Q

Characteristics of a tumor: regional

A

Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, tissues, or organs

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11
Q

Characteristics of a tumor: distant

A

Cancer has spread to distant parts of the body

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12
Q

______ cancers are more aggressive, likely to spread, and difficult to treat than ______ cancers.

A

High grade, low grade

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13
Q

4 most common types of cancers in males & percentages

A

Prostate 27.3%, lung 12.0%, colorectal 8.5%, bladder 6.4%

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14
Q

List the 4 most common types of cancers in women & parentages

A

Breast 30.8%, lung 12.7%, uterine 8.6%, colorectal 8.2%

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15
Q

What type of cancer is associated with the following risk factors: family history, exposure to radon, exposure to industrial and airborne chemicals, HIV, tobacco smoke, vaping, and e-cigarettes

A

Lung cancer

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16
Q

T or F: most lumps found in breast tissues are benign, non-cancerous, and are not life-threatening, but they should be checked out by healthcare professionals

A

True

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17
Q

What are the most important risk factors to consider for breast cancer?

A

Age and family

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18
Q

Which type of cancer is associated with the following risk factors: family history, inheritance of BRCA1/BRCA2 genes, alcohol consumption, tissue density, obesity, reaction exposure, and hormone therapy?

A

Breast cancer

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19
Q

Symptoms associated with liver cancer

A

Discomfort in the abdomen/swollen, abdomen, tiredness, or weakness, weight loss for no reason, fever, hard lump on right side just below the rib cage

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20
Q

T or F: pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed in early stages easy to treat and well understood

A

False

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21
Q

Two examples of in your control risk factors

A

Physical activity, smoking/drinking

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22
Q

2 examples of out of your control risk factors

A

Age, family history

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23
Q

What are 3 cancers that vaping/e-cigarettes is a risk factor

A

Lung cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer

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24
Q

2 symptoms of ovarian cancer

A

Bloating, pelvic/abdominal pain

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25
____ is the primary form of treatment of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is _____ treatable and ______ curable
Surgery, highly, often
26
T or F: there are many symptoms which point towards uterine/endometrial cancer
False
27
1 in 8 biological men in the US are diagnosed with what cancer?
Prostate
28
Most lethal type of cancer in biological men
Lung
29
Most lethal type of cancer in biological women
Lung
30
The process of cancer staging focuses on what?
The location of the cancer in the body and the size of the cancer
31
Which highly treatable cancer can start from structures called polyps?
Colorectal cancer
32
What are the six hallmarks of cancer?
1- Sustaining proliferative signaling 2- evading growth suppressors 3- activating invasion and metastasis 4- enabling replicative immortality 5- inducing angiogenesis 6- resisting cell death
33
Sustaining proliferative signaling
Traffic light with only green lights Cancer cells produce an abundance of cell growth factors Mutations in some cellular proteins, also increase the activity of specific signaling pathways that increase proliferation These factors and mutations allow cells to divide more rapidly than normal
34
Evading growth suppressors
Car with no breaks, all brake signals blocked In a cancer cell, the normal growth suppressors are no longer able to limit cell growth because they are missing or mutated
35
Activating invasion and metastasis
Any colony spreading for more room The ability to activate invasion and metastasis allow tumor cells to move to a new site in the body Once at the new site, a secondary tumor called metastasis can be formed by the proliferation of the cancer cells
36
Enabling replicative immortality
Rabbits on island with no threat so they can take over Normal cells have limited number of divisions before they become stalled or undergo crisis (die) Cancer cells can divide indefinitely usually because they have an increased amount of telomerase, a DNA polymer that LinkedIn, the unique sequences called telomeres on the end of eukaryotic chromosomes
37
Inducing angiogenesis
Pipeline to supply farmers crops with water Tumors require nutrients just like normal tissues Angiogenesis is the generation of new blood vessels to allow uptake of nutrients by tissues, including tumor tissues
38
Resisting cell death
Two fish in bowl that keep having babies while resisting dying If cells that should normally be destined to die, resist death and survive this contributes to their cancer phenotype The resistance happens due to an interference with apoptosis Apoptosis is a type of cell death in which a series of molecular steps in a cell lead to its death
39
What are the emerging hallmarks?
Deregulating cellular energetics Avoiding immune destruction
40
Deregulating cellular energetics
In addition to changes in cell, signaling pathways, increase proliferation of cancer cells is also due to changes in cell metabolic pathways Cancer cells use glycolysis even when oxygen is available and have increased glucose transporters to bring in glucose
41
Avoiding immune destruction
People who have impairments in their immunity are more likely to get cancer
42
Enabling characteristics
Genome instability and mutation Tumor promoting inflammation
43
Genome instability and mutation
A mutation is a change in the sequence of DNA, which can sometimes lead to production of cancer cells Genetic instability can cause mutations Some people have genetic predisposition to cancer due to an inherited mutation
44
Tumor promoting inflammation
Certain types of macrophages can contribute to the development of cancer These cells can release growth factors, and anti-apoptosis factors These cells can help tumor cells, invade, and metastasize, and can increase the presence of blood vessels and tumors
45
T or F: cancer cells can divide indefinitely
True
46
What is apoptosis?
Series of molecular steps leading to cell death
47
In cancer cell normal growth suppressors are no longer able to limit cell growth. The normal growth suppressors are ______ or ______
Mutated or inactivated
48
T or F: some people are likely to get cancer because they inherit a mutation
True
49
T or F: Tumors contain multiple cell types. The cell types can contribute positively or negatively to tumor development and metastasis.
True
50
DNA is made out of two strands. One strain is copied _____ and the other strand is copied _____ DNA is always replicated in the ___ to ___ direction
Continuously, backwards, 5’ to 3’
51
Helicase
Unwind the DNA from a double helix to a single strand
52
Topoisomerase
Relieves topological stress “tension” during DNA unwinding
53
DNA Polymerase l
Removed RNA primers and fills the gaps
54
DNA Polymerase lll
Synthesize DNA
55
Primase
Adds RNA primers to the three and five strand that sort RNA for DNA synthesis
56
Ligase
Joining DNA fragments
57
3 DNA repair mechanisms which allow cells to prevent cancer in accumulation of mutations
Recognize, remove, repair
58
Sensors
Directly recognize and bind damaged DNA
59
Transducers
Receives signal from sensors in amplify it to transmit to down signaling molecules
60
Mediators
Facilitate the interactions between sensors and transducer
61
Effectors
Directly execute cellular response to DNA damage
62
What is the region of DNA that repeats the same sequence tens or hundreds of times?
Satellite
63
What are the building blocks of proteins? If mutations in DNA occur, the protein can change its structure and function.
Amino acids
64
3 ways cellular genomes can be impacted
Polymerase error Spontaneous base-switching Exogenous and endogenous mutagenic agents
65
Polymerase error
Enzymes are highly efficient, but still cause errors
66
Spontaneous base-switching
Previously incorporated bases can lose/gain chemical functional groups and change genetic information
67
Exogenous and endogenous mutagenic agents
Metabolism products, reactive oxygen species, chemicals, UV or x-rays
68
What is the genetic material that serves as a blueprint for an organism?
DNA
69
The 3 primary mechanisms cells utilized to fix damaged DNA
DNA repair enzymes- base excision repair in nucleotide excision repair Repairing DNA adducts- product of a DNA base after reaction with a carcinogen Error-prone repair mechanism- in response to unrepaired damage DNA the bypass polymerase will try to guess which base to incorporate
70
Match DNA molecules with correct bases for mRNA code
T-A A-U C-G G-C
71
What tool is used to inspect chromosomes for structural and replicative abnormalities?
Karyotypes
72
Oncogene
A cancer inducing gene, a gene that can transform cells by the oncoprotein it encodes
73
Tumor suppressor gene
A gene that when partially or completely inactive can lead to an increased likelihood of cancer development A gene who is partial or complete an activation occurring in either the germ line or the genome of a somatic cell leads to an increased likelihood of cancer development
74
In the development of cancer, sometimes the K rash gene becomes mutated at position ___
12
75
Approximately how many cases of cancer is the mutant K-ras present in?
35% of all cancer cases
76
When the KS gene becomes mutated, the mutant gene transforms into what?
And oncogene
77
If a protein is encoded by a mutated K-ras gene what does the protein form?
An oncoprotein
78
Name three types of cancer were the mutant K-ras is commonly found
Lung, colon, pancreatic
79
What is the function of EGFR?
It is a receptor for the epidermal growth factor EGF
80
What process occur when the EGFR binds to EGF
EGFR dimerizes and undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation
81
What are characteristics of the p53 tumor suppressor?
Can eliminate a cell that poses a threat to an organism’s health and viability Stops the advancement of the cell growth and division cycle Provides a local response to facilitate damage repair in the cell
82
What is the consequence of apoptosis being triggered by p53?
The cell undergoes, rapid death to protect the organism
83
The p53 tumor suppressor may stop the advancement of the cell cycle to prevent further ______ of a cell with genetic damage
Proliferation
84
Which of the three types of cancer is affected by a genetic component?
All three: sporadic, familial, hereditary
85
List the three types of cancer in order from earliest onset to latest onset
Hereditary, familial, sporadic
86
If someone is born with a specific genetic mutation and has a strong pattern of cancer within their family tree, which of the three types of cancer, are they likely to be affected by
Hereditary
87
Most cancer patients (85%) experience, which of the three types of cancer?
Sporadic
88
Which of the three types of cancer is known to have a clustering effect with families, but is not due to a specific inherited mutation?
Familial cancer
89
Risk factor associated with sporadic cancer
Age, exposure to environmental carcinogens, hormones, lifestyle
90
Risk factor associated with familial cancer
Age, exposure to environmental carcinogens, hormones, lifestyle, but they are all shared among family members
91
What are risk factors of Hereditary cancer?
Genetic mutation, environment, and lifestyle
92
The least amount of cancer patients 5-7% experience, which of the three types of cancer?
Hereditary
93
T or F: cancers of the same tissue type like breast cancer, or colon cancer can be labeled as any of the three types, sporadic, familial, or hereditary.
True
94
What type of testing is performed to determine whether someone is at risk of developing cancer at some point in their life?
Genetic testing
95
T or F: cancer screenings are used to diagnose cancer
False
96
What is a goal of cancer screening?
Find signs of cancer before the symptoms appear and try to catch cancer in the early stages
97
List cancer screening test
Breast cancer- mammogram Cervical cancer - pap smear
98
Biopsy
A test used to determine whether a symptomatic person has cancer or another illness. It is a sample of tissue suspected of being cancerous that is removed for testing.
99
Diagnosis
Identification of disease
100
Prognosis
An estimate of the treatment outcomes for particular disease
101
What is a reason a doctor might recommend genetic testing to a patient?
If they have a strong family history, have already been diagnosed with cancer, but there’s evidence to suggest the cancer may have been caused by an inherited mutation

Cancer Research (3 decks)

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