BIOL3304 Ch20

Cancer

A type of disease characterized by the uncontrolled division of cells.

Tumor

An abnormal mass of tissue that results from excessive cell division.

Oncogenes

Genes that promote cell division and can cause cancer when mutated or overexpressed.

Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes that protect cells from becoming cancerous; mutations can lead to cancer.

Driver Mutations

Mutations that provide a selective growth advantage to cancer cells.

Passenger Mutations

Mutations that occur in cancer cells but do not contribute to cancer progression.

Metastasis

The spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body via blood or lymph.

Benign Tumor

A tumor that does not invade surrounding tissues or spread to other parts of the body.

Malignant Tumor

A cancerous tumor that invades surrounding tissues and may metastasize.

DNA Repair Genes

Genes that serve to fix damaged DNA and prevent mutations that can lead to cancer.

Cell Cycle Control

The regulation of the cell cycle to ensure proper cell division and function.

Germline Mutation

A mutation that occurs in the reproductive cells and can be passed to offspring.

Somatic Mutation

A mutation that occurs in non-reproductive cells, not passed on to offspring.

Epigenetics

The study of changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the underlying DNA sequence.

Carcinogens

Substances that are known to cause cancer, often by causing mutations in DNA.

Liquid Biopsy

A test that detects cancer-related DNA in body fluids like blood.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell Therapy

An immunotherapy that modifies a patient’s T cells to attack cancer cells.

Angiogenesis

The formation of new blood vessels, which can support tumor growth.

Aneuploidy

An abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell, often found in cancer cells.

p53

A tumor suppressor protein that regulates the cell cycle and functions in preventing cancer.

Retinoblastoma

A rare eye cancer that typically originates in childhood due to mutations in the RB1 gene.

BRCA1 and BRCA2

Tumor suppressor genes associated with increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.