Chapter 6 Physiology: Cancer

The second leading cause of death in the U.S., causing over 600,000 deaths annually.

Cancer

• anti-proliferative factors: what does it do

• block cell division

• block cancer cell proteases used to penetrate tissues. 

• inhibitors of proteolytic enzymes:

• oxygen-starved, and require a blood supply to grow.  

tumor cells

• The cancer-forming process. Result of an interplay between genetics and the environment. 

or by random chance

Oncogenesis

• Spread through un-protected sexual contact, or exchange of blood. (sharing needles) 

Hep B and C

failure of cellular mechanisms that controls cell division and genetic damage, due to tumor-promoting chemicals, hormones, and sometimes viruses (genetic mutations of a gene in a protein that causes cell division)

what causes cancer

what is cell divison needed for?

growth and repair

what can result from a mutation in proto-oncogenes , tumor-suppressor genes, and caretaker genes.

genetic damage

promotes cell division (tells the cells to divide), and can become oncogenes by mutations that make the gene excessively active ( think the Accelerator)

Proto-oncogenes

Genes that restrain cell growth; after mutation, these genes become inactive which allows for excessive cell division to occur. (think the brake)

Tumor-suppressor Genes

Genes that protect the genome and repair damaged DNA (fix mistakes); when these genes are inactivated, mutations in the genome accumulate (build up) aka (mistakes build up)

Caretaker Genes

Mutations of genes that cause cancer?

Proto-oncogenes, Tumor suppressor, and care taker genes

Environmental substances that induce cancer-causing mutations in cells (anything in the environment that can mutate your DNA)

Carcinogens

Causes warts on the skin, mouth, genitals, and larynx. Spread through physical contact with infected areas. 

HPV

what is HPV and out of 4 how many sexually active ppl already have HPV?

Human papilloma virus: 3 / 4 sexually-active people already have HPV. Clears up naturally in 1 or 2 years in 90% of cases. 

A type of cancer caused by HPV; third most common in women.

Cervical Cancer

increasing age, smoking, and lowered immunity.

Factors that increase an individual’s risk of contracting cervical cancer: (happens because your immune system isn’t working well)

true or false: If you get HPV, there is a small chance that you will get cervical cancer. But if you get cervical cancer, it is almost always due to an HPV infection. 

true

An HPV vaccine that protects against strains causing cervical cancer.

Gardasil

one of the first vaccines created

gardisil 

what  trigger an immune response that produces memory cells for whenever you encounter the actual virus. 

vaccines

a cytoskelatal protein ujsed to keep cell shape

actin

Sexually-transmitted DNA virus.

HPV

sextually transmitted Retrovirus (RNA)

HIV

reduces the death rate by 70%

pap smears

when 2 or more receptors combining together (like the on switch for some pathways)

dimerization. (think di means two)

a viral protein that HPV makes that can dimerize with a receptor that is already on the membrane for PDGF

E5 (how hpv effects your cells)

what proteins cause/result in extra cell division when it binds to a recptor

PDGF & E5 (essentially do the same thing)

the exact same process that occurs when PDGF normally activates its receptor at the plasma membrane. 

recepter dimerization (the ON switch)

once this is “turned on/activated” it causes sustained receptor activation and promotion of cell division.

recepter dimerization

• a protein that plays a key role in angiogenesis. 

PDGF (Platelet-derived growth factor)

Where most mutations occur but aren't passed to offspring.

Somatic Cells

Cells that can pass mutations to offspring.

Germ-line Cells (sperm and egg)

The eighth most common cancer in women and the 5th leading cause of cancer death in women

Ovarian Cancer

An oral contraceptive that inhibits ovulation

The Pill (Ortho Tri-cyclin) - birth control

T or F. Women who take the pill for 10 years or more reduces their risk of contracting ovarian cancer by as much as 50%.

true

natural doesn’t = healthy. the only purpose for ovultion is pregnscy.

ovulating can actuslly be less healthy 

hormones that prevent follicular development and inhibit ovulation,

progestin and estrogen,

The formation of new blood vessels, essential for tumor growth.

Angiogenesis

Programmed cell death, which is regulated by specific genes.

Apoptosis

controls cell cycle, the First tumor-suppressor gene to be discovered and when inactivated, it’s present in almost all cancer cells. 

Rb protein (retinoblastoma)

HPV produces an E6 protein that does what?

inhibits (stops) p53 activity. 

HPV produces an E7 protein that does what?

inhibits Rb proteins

 genes that are supposed to stop cell division (2)

p53 & Rb (tumor suppressor genes)

composed of a capsid protein called L1, is designed to trigger an immune response and, contains no virus, alive or dead.

HPV vaccine

A tumor-suppressor gene that regulates the cell cycle tells the cell cyhcle to go to arrest) or apoptosis. (cell death)

p53

Occur mostly in somatic (normal) cells and causes permanent changes in DNA that can lead to cancer.

Mutations

any cell but the sperm and egg

somatic cells (non-germ line)

Cells that usually aren’t passed on to offspring

non-germ-line cells (every cell in our body but the sperm ans egg)

what does the egg do during ovulation?

it gets dischared and burts through the ovary walls

process in which an ovarian follicle ruptures, and discharges an ovum (egg), that bursts through the wall of the ovary. 

ovulation

excessive cells division = ?

tumors

after the ovary wall is bursted through, cells on the surface of the ovary must do what in order to to repair the hole caused by the bursting ovum. 

divide

codes for proteins that fix damaged DNA in our cells. (2 alleles from both, one set from dad and one from mom) A tumor-suppressor gene associated with hereditary breast cancer.

BRCA-1 & 2

A procedure to detect cancer by examining tissue samples.

Biopsy

A drug that blocks estrogen receptors in breast cancer treatment.

Tamoxifen

The spread of cancer cells from the primary tumor to new sites. tumor and tissue have to meet certgain conditions

Metastasis (what caues daeth)

A mass of rapidly proliferating cells that evade normal growth restraints.

Tumor

Proteins important for cell signaling in cancer treatments.

Cytokines

Proteins that regulate the cell cycle's progression.

Cyclins

The frequency of new cancer cases in a population.

Cancer Incidence

The interaction of multiple factors that enhances the effect beyond their individual impact.

Synergy

Regulatory points where the cell cycle can be halted to prevent errors.

Cell Cycle Checkpoints

An experimental treatment targeting historical aspects of tumor biology.

Histotherapy

An enzyme secreted by transformed cells that breaks down cellular barriers.

Plasminogen Activator

Structural components in the nucleus associated with ribosome production, enlarged in tumor cells.

Nucleoli

The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states.

Epidemiology

A signal protein that stimulates the formation of blood vessels.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)

Proteins that stimulate cell proliferation and differentiation.

Growth Factors

The surrounding environment that affects tumor growth and metastasis.

Tumor Microenvironment

A cancer treatment using drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells.

Chemotherapy

A treatment using high-energy particles or waves to destroy or damage cancer cells.

Radiation Therapy

A hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, used in cancer treatment.

Erythropoietin

A protein that promotes the production of white blood cells.

G-CSF (Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor)

A cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that regulates the cell cycle.

p21

A tumor-suppressor protein that regulates the cell cycle.

Retinoblastoma Protein (Rb)

The process by which a benign tumor becomes malignant.

Tumor Progression

An experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease.

Gene Therapy

viruses that cause liver infections that can develop into liver cancer. 

Hepatitis B and C

The growth of tumor cells in a controlled environment for study.

Tumor Cell Culture

An experiment to identify transformed cells by their growth patterns.

Focus Formation Assay

The process of tumor formation and development.

Tumorigenesis

A growth factor involved in cell growth and development.

EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor)

Proteins that have antiviral effects and modulate immune responses.

Interferons

A cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor associated with tumor suppression.

p16INK4

Substances that promote the formation of new blood vessels.

Angiogenic Factors

The ability of cancer cells to resist the effects of chemotherapy.

Chemoresistance

Small extracellular vesicles that can influence tumor microenvironments.

Exosome

A cancer treatment that targets specific mutations or proteins in tumor cells.

Targeted Therapy

Undifferentiated cells that can develop into various cell types, linked to cancer.

Stem Cells

The rate at which new cases of a disease occur in a specific population.

Incidence Rate

A database of cancer cases used for research and epidemiological studies.

Cancer Registry

A treatment that uses the body's immune system to fight cancer.

Immunotherapy

Biological molecules that indicate a condition or disease state.

Biomarkers

The return of cancer after treatment.

Recurrence

The use of natural or synthetic substances to prevent cancer.

Chemoprevention

The total number of cancer cells in the body.

Tumor Burden