SumExam3 Flashcards
What is a neoplasm?
New growth or tumor
What are the characteristics of a benign tumor?
Slow growing and in a local area/not invasive
Necrosis is rare, prognosis is good and rare regrowth if treated.
What are the characteristics of a malignant tumor?
Rapid growth and invades other tissue and metastasizes.
Noticeably not normal tissue, more common necrosis and regrowth after treatment
What are the 6 characteristics of cancer cells?
RAISEE Resisting cell death Activating invasion and metastasizing Inducing angiogenesis Sustaining proliferative signals Evading growth suppressors Enabling immortality
What are some lifestyle factors that can impact the growth of cancer?
Tobacco use Nutrition Obesity Sun exposure (skin cancer) Sexual exposure to HPV (cervical cancer)
What two things to carcinogens do?
Promote tumor growth
Initiate tumor growth
What are carcinogens and what can they do?
potential cancer-causing agent
Gain of function mutations- genes to be overactive or loss of function.
What is a proto-oncogene?
The name of genes that have been altered by carcinogen.
Gain of function: become overactive
What is an Oncogene?
Proto-oncogene in its mutant overactive form
What is a tumor suppressor gene?
Gene that Inhibits cell proliferation
When a tumor suppressor gene is altered by a carcinogen, what type of gain of function happens?
Underactive mutation
How to proto-oncogenes get activated into an oncogene?
The are impacted by a carcinogen which causes mutations and growth, it is then a oncogene once it is full cancer
What is an example of an inherited defective copy of tumor suppressor gene
BRCA1- breast cancer gene
What does Epigenetic process mean?
“Silences” the gene
Does not require a mutation
Changes how the gene is read.
What are the three stages of carcinogenesis?
Initiation
Promotion
Progression
During the Initiation stage of carcinogenesis, what happens?
event for genetic mutation- multiple mutations needed and certain amounts need to happen in order to be malignant- proliferation starts**
During the Promotion stage of carcinogenesis, what happens?
Cancer cells become immortal by producing telomerase- repairs the ends of the chromosomes in replication
What types of environmental factors can encourage proliferation?
environment of body- hormonal, infection, nutrition can encourage proliferation.
During the Progression stage of carcinogenesis, what happens?
mutant proliferative cells are becoming tumors, invading
What are the two ways cancer cells move within the body to start metastasizing?
blood stream or to lymph system
What is staging of cancer?
Staging-describes how big or if it has metastasized
What is grading of cancer?
grading- how malignant- higher number the worse it is
What are the clinical manifestations or warning signs of cancer?
Change in bowel or bladder habits A sore that does not heal Unusual bleeding or discharge Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere Indigestion or difficulty swallowing Obvious change in wart or mole Nagging cough or hoarseness Other:Pain Cachexia Immune system deficits Bone marrow suppression
Besides early detection, What are treatments for cancer?
Surgery
Radiation therapy
Drug therapy/chemotherapy