Lecture 1- Basics and Definitions Flashcards
(40 cards)
Define cancer (according to WHO)
a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body
Two main characteristics of cancer.
- uncontrolled growth
- can spread to other organs
Define hyperplasia
an increase in the number of cells in an organ or tissue; these cells appear normal under a microscope
Define metaplasia
a change of cells to a form that does not normally occur in the tissue in which it is found
Define dysplasia
a term used to describe the presence of abnormal cells within a tissue or organ; not cancer, but sometimes may become cancer
Define neoplasia
tumor; an abnormal mass of tissue that forms when cells grow and divide more than they should or do not die when they should; may be benign or malignant;
Define benign neoplasms
may grow large but do not spread into (invade) nearby tissues or other parts of the body
Define malignant neoplasms
can spread into, invade, nearby tissues; can also spread to other parts of the body through blood and lymph systems
All ______ are _______, but not all _________ are _________.
cancers; neoplasm/tumor; neoplasm/tumor; cancer
Match the word to the image: cancer, hyperplasia, normal, dysplasia
normal, hyperplasia, dysplasia, cancer
Benign vs. Malignant Tumors
Benign: no, slow, differentiated, no, yes, +
Malignant: yes, fast, undifferentiated, yes, no, +++
Define carcinoma
cancers derived from epithelial cells
Ex: breast, prostate, lung, pancreas, colon, etc
Define sarcoma
cancers arising from connective tissue
Ex: bone, cartilage, fat, nerve
Define lymphoma/leukemia
these two classes arise from immature cells that originate in the bone marrow, and are intended to fully differentiate and mature into normal components of the immune system (lymphoma) and blood (leukemia)
Define germ cell tumor
Cancer derived from pluripotent cells, most often presenting in testicle/ovary
Define blastoma
cancers derived from immature (precursor) cells/embryonic tissue; generally, but not always, more common in children than older adults
Define oncogene
gene that is a mutated form of a gene involved in normal cell growth; may cause the growth of cancer cells; mutations in genes that become oncogenes can be inherited or caused by being exposed to substances in the environment that cause cancer
What are the categories of oncogenes?
growth factors (mitogens), receptor tyrosine kinases, cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases, cytoplasmic serine/threonine kinases (and regulatory subunits), regulatory GTPases
What are the gene function of growth factors?
aka mitogens; induces cell proliferation
Ex: melanoma
What are the gene functions of receptor tyrosine kinases?
transduce signals for cell growth and differentiation
Ex: breast cancer
What are the gene functions of cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases?
mediate the responses to, and the activation receptors of cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, and survival
Ex: colorectal cancer
What are the gene functions of cytoplasmic serine/threonine kinases and their regulatory subunits?
involved in organism development, cell cycle regulation, cell proliferation, differentiation, cells survival, and apoptosis
Ex: malignant melanoma
What are the gene functions of regulatory GTPases?
involved in signaling a major pathway leading to cell proliferation
Ex: thyroid tumors
Define tumor suppressors
a type of gene that makes a protein called a tumor suppressor protein that helps control cell growth; mutations in these tumor suppressor genes can lead to cancer; aka anti oncogene
