Term
| Why is understanding cancer so important? |
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Definition
| It permeates all of our lives |
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Term
| What percentage of people with a cancer diagnosis will not survive for five years? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the risk of dying from cancer for both men and women in the US? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the deadliest form of cancer? What are the other top 5 deadliest cancers, in order? |
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Definition
Lung cancer
Colon/rectum, breast, prostate, liver |
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Term
| What ethnicity has a prostate cancer death rate that is more than double the rate for any other racial or ethnic group? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Cancer is the name given to a collection of many different related diseases where the body’s cells begin to divide without stopping and can spread into surrounding tissues. |
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Term
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Definition
| Defects in our genes or defects in the regulation of our genes |
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Term
| What is involved in normal growth control? How does a cancer cell avoid apoptosis? |
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Definition
The cells with damage are detected and undergo apoptosis or cell suicide.
Cancer is an accumulation of mutations that allow the cell to avoid apoptosis. |
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Term
| What does "transformation" mean in terms of cancer cells? |
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Definition
| Transformation is the change that a normal cell undergoes as it becomes malignant. |
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Term
| What is a neoplasm? What is another word for neoplasm? |
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Definition
| An abnormal mass of tissue that results when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should. Neoplasms may be benign (not cancer, dont spread), or malignant (cancer/ invading neighboring tissues, may spread). Also called tumor. |
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Term
| Is all hyperplasia cancer? |
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Definition
| No- there are many factors which can cause hyperplasia, such as chronic inflammation. Not cancerous. |
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Term
| What is hyperplasia? Do hyperplastic cells look normal under a scope? |
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Definition
Hyperplasia occurs when cells within a tissue divide faster than normal and extra cells build up, or proliferate
The cells look normal, as well as the organization. |
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Term
| What are the stages of transformation? |
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Definition
| Cell with mutation -> Hyperplasia (accumulation) -> Dysplasia (accumulation and changesin tissue organization) -> Carcinoma in situ (in tissues that line organs, have not invaded nearby tissues but are treated like cancer as they will progress towards such) -> Invasive cancer (w/ blood supply) |
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Term
| What is subungual melanoma? |
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Definition
| Its a melanoma in the toe nail. it looks like a black line down the length of the toe nail. This is the kind of cancer Bob Marley had. |
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Term
| What is the lifetime risk of developing cancer? |
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Definition
| 40%, almost 1 out of every 2 |
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Term
| What are some factors of cancer health disparities? |
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Definition
| Access to insurance, social inequalities, discrimination and other socioeconomic factors |
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Term
To grow beyond 1-2 mm in diameter, what does a tumor require?
What is this called? What does it aid in? |
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Definition
Its own blood supply
Angiogenesis-necessary in the progression of cancer from small, localized carcinomas to larger, growing tumors. |
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Term
| How is angiogenesis commenced? |
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Definition
| Cancer cells secrete signals, growth hormones, which induce the formation of new blood vessels to supply the tumor with blood. |
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Term
| What is VEGF-A? What is it critical for? |
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Definition
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
It is one of the most important growth factors in angiogenesis. It causes endothelial cells to leak and secrete. |
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Term
| What are each of the components of TNM staging? |
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Definition
T- size and extent of main tumor (primary tumor)
N- the number of nearby lymph nodes with cancer
M- whether the cancer has metastasized, mostly trying to gauge if its moved to a distal part of the body |
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Term
| What do the follow T stages mean: T0, TX, T1/2/3/4 |
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Definition
T0: main tumor cannot be found
TX: main tumor cannot be measured
T1/2/3/4:Refers to the size and/or extent of the main tumor. The higher the number after the T, the larger the tumor or the more it has grown into nearby tissues. |
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Term
| Explain the following N stages: NX, N0, N1/2/3 |
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Definition
NX: Cancer in nearby lymph nodes cannot be measured
N0: There is no cancer in nearby lymph nodes
N1/2/3:Refers to the number and location of lymph nodes that contain cancer. The higher the number after the N, the more lymph nodes that contain cancer |
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Term
| Explain the following M staging: MX, M0, M1 |
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Definition
MX: Metastasis cannot be measured
M0: Cancer has not spread to other parts of the body
M1:Cancer has spread to other parts of the body- final stages, usually stage four cancer |
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Term
| Explain what stage 0, I, II, III, IV cancer is? |
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Definition
0- Carcinoma in situ (CIS), hasnt broken through basement membrane, early form. Not cancer but can become cancer.
I - Localized
II - Early locally advanced
III - Late locally advanced
IV - Metastasized to distal parts of the body |
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Term
| Is angiogenesis limited to blood vessels? |
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Definition
| No, it also occurs for the lymphatic system |
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Term
| If breast cancer metastasized to the bones, would the new cancer be considered bone or breast cancer? |
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Definition
| The metastasis would be considered breast cancer as it is the original tumor, its just traveled via the blood stream to a new location. |
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Term
| What regions of the body are cancer cells most likely to spread? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is Avastin used for? How does it work? |
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Definition
| Avastin prevents a tumor from receiving the nutrients it needs in order to grow. Avastin binds to VEGF preventing it from bind ing to receptors on nearby blood vessels and helping them to supply the tumor with nutrients. |
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Term
| What US populations are mostly likely to exhibit cancer health disparities? |
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Definition
-Racial and ethnic minority groups
- Those with low socioeconomic status
- Those with limited access to health care
- Certain geographical areas, including local areas
- LGBTQ community
- immigrants
- those with disabilities
- the elderly |
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Term
| Who is more likely to die from breast cancer, straight women in a relationship or lesbian women? |
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Definition
| Lesbian women cohabiting with a same sex partner are 3X more likely to die from breast cancer |
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Term
| Who is more likely to develop childhood leukemia, hispanic children or non hispanic children? |
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Definition
| Hispanic children are 24% more likely to develop childhood leukemia. |
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Term
| What are dysplastic nevi the result of? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Holes in the walls of blood vessels which feed cancers. |
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Term
| Do most metastatic events occur via vascular or lymph system? |
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Definition
| Most occur via lymphatic system. |
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Term
| What does phosphatidylserine do? |
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Definition
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Term
| Explain the angiogenesis process |
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Definition
1. A genetic event triggers the growth of a carcinoma
2. Uncontrolled cell growth, creation of a hypoxic environment
3. Stress of living in a hypoxic environment triggers release of pro-angiogenic factors, including VEGF, which travel to ECM of local blood vessel
4. Hypoxia stimulates release of metal-loproteases (MMPs) to degrade basement membrane and other ECM of blood vessel
5. Specialized endothelial cells (tip cells) travel along angiogenic gradient (VEGF, EGF, FGF, TGFB) towards tumor
6. Endothelial cells behind tip cells differentiate into stalk cells , forming the body of the new blood vessel, growing along angiogenic growth factor gradient
7. Tip cells continue to grow on gradient while stalk cells strengthen walls of new blood vessel
8. The new vessel reaches the tumor, supplying blood. The vessel matures when pericytes line the outside of the cell in a PDGF dependent manner |
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Term
| What are carcinomas formed from? Give some examples of carcinomas |
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Definition
Epithelial cells
- Adenocarcinoma: cells that produce fluid or mucous (breast, prostate,colon)
- Basal cell carcinoma: basal layer
- Squamous cell carcinoma |
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Term
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Definition
| form in bone and soft tissues like muscle, fat, blood vessels, lymph vessels, tendons and ligaments |
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Term
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Definition
| begin in the blood-forming tissue of the bone marrow. These cancers do not form solid tumors. Instead, large numbers of abnormal white blood cells build up in the blood and bone marrow, crowding out normal blood cells. |
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Term
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Definition
| begin in lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system, which build up in lymph nodes and lymph vessels, as well as in other organs of the body |
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Term
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Definition
| begin in cells that become melanocytes, which are specialized cells that make melanin. Most melanomas form on the skin, but can also form in other pigmented tissues, such as the eye |
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Term
| Where do germ cell cancers form? |
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Definition
| begins in the cells that give rise to sperm or eggs |
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Term
| Where do we find neuroendocrine tumors? |
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Definition
| form from cells that release hormones into the blood in response to a signal from the nervous system |
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Term
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Definition
| Epithelial to mesenchymal transition |
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Term
| What does the process of EMT entail? |
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Definition
| process in which epithelial cells disaggregate, change shape, and lose intercellular contacts |
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Term
| What are some properties of mesenchymal cells which are gained during EMT? |
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Definition
| Gain mesenchymal properties such as increased migratory capacity, invasiveness, resistance to apoptosis, and increased production of extracellular matrix components |
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Term
| What are some of the transitions that happen to cells that undergo EMT? |
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Definition
1. Cell polarity -> no cell polarity
2. Cell adhesion -> no cell adhesion
3. Stationary -> ability to travel and invade
4. High level of e-cadherin -> low level of e-cadherin
5. Low level of n-cadherin -> high level of n-cadherin |
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Term
| At what point in transformation does EMT occur? |
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Definition
1. During the transition from a carcinoma in situ to an invasive carcinoma
2. During intravasation when tumor cells are entering the blood vessels in order to metastasize |
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Term
| What is SUV? What is it measuring and how is it used? |
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Definition
| SUV is standard uptake value. It is a way of determining metabolic activity (glucose metabolism by a cancer) in PET imaging. The intensity of the heat/spot measured correlates to the intensity of a cancer. |
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Term
| What is the cutoff range between a benign and malignant lesion in SUV? |
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Definition
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Term
| What does CAF stand for? What is the role of CAFs in cancer? |
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Definition
CAF= cancer associated fibroblast
CAFs are recruited to the tumor site, contribute to formation of new ECM, angiogenesis by secreting VEGF, and secrete pro growth and pro inflammatory factors. The tumor secretes this wound healing process to grow and build surrounding tissues. |
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Term
| Is angiogenesis limited to malignant tumorS? |
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Definition
| No, benign tumors may undergo angiogenesis |
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Term
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Definition
| The cancerous cells exiting the blood/lymph vessel after becoming stuck. |
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