Inroduction To Cancer W5 Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is cancer
abnormal cells grow uncontrollably by disregarding the normal rules of cell division
Normal cells are subject to signals that dictate growth and death – cancer cells lose these signals
Metastasis
Moved to secondary site ie lymph node or blood vessels
Cancer is a ….
Multi gene and multi step process
Much harder to treat when….
Moves from its primary site - metastasis
Hall marks of cancer
- Sustaining proliferate sigalling
- Evading growth suppressors
- Activating invasion and metastasis
- Enabling replication immortality
- Inducing angiogenesis
- Resisting cell death
Stages of cancer - M
M0 = no metastases are present
M1 = tumour has spread to other regions of the body or thie other lung
3b cancer
Cancer in outer lining of colon/rectum wall - spread to 1-3 nearby lymph nodes but is not in other organs
OR
Cancer in outermost layers of colon/ rectum - present in 4-6 nearby lymph nodes, but not other organs
OR
Cancer in submucosa - spread to 7 or more nearby lymph nodes, but not other sites
Cancer stats UK
◦ Every 2 min, someone is diagnosed with cancer
◦ > 1000 new cases of cancer/day
◦ 24% of all deaths are due to cancer
◦ > 450 deaths/day
BUT
◦ 50% survival
◦ 38% preventable cases
Leukaemia
Blood cancers
Usually originate in the bone marrow
High numbers of blood cells that are abnormal and undifferentiated
4 types leukaemia class
4 common types, classed as:
- Acute and chronic
- Lymphocytic or Myeloid
Mix and match:
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Risk factors
Genetics - Family history
Age
Alcohol
Cancer-causing substances
Chronic inflammation
Diet
Hormones
Immunosuppression
Infectious agents
Obesity
Radiation
▪Sunlight
▪Tobacco
Genetics
Cancer is a genetic disease - Mutations in DNA
Cancer cells generally have more genetic changes than normal cells
Hereditary cancers
5-10% of all cancers
cancers that “run in families” but not inherited
genetic mutation eg similar environmental exposure
Causing substances
Arsenic
Asbestos
Benzene
Coal Tar, Coal emissions, Soot
Radon
Secondhand tobacco smoke
Wood dust
Cancer type and its prevenatatie % through healthy changes
Ovarian - 4%
Prostate - 10%
Lung - 33%
Breast - 38%
Preventing cancer
Don’t smoke or vape
Moderate alcohol
Healthy diet
physically active
Reduce exposure to toxins
Reduce air pollution
Take care with exposure to sunlight
Diagnosis
Early diagnosis correlates with prognosis
- Family history
- Genetic testing
- Lab tests – blood, urine, other bodily fluids
- Vaccines and screening at different ages (HPV)
- CT scan
- Biopsy
Common symptoms
- None (in some cases)
Symptoms are common to several illnesses:
- Cough
- Tired
- Blood in stool or sputum
- Weight loss (cachexia)
- Headaches
Treatments avaliable
- Surgery
- Radiotherapy
- Laser therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Targeted therapies (tyrosine kinase inhibitors, monoclonal Abs- e.g Herceptin)
- Immunotherapy
- Drug resistance
T1
T1 = tumor less that 3cm
T2
T2 = tumor greater than 3cm
T3
T3 = tumor can be any size but is near the airway or has spread to local areas such as the chest wall or diaphragm
T4
T4 = tumor is any size but is located in the airway or has invaded local structures such as the heart or oesophagus
N0
N0 = no lymph’s affected
