Categories of cancer
behavioral, genetic, environmental
behavioral cancer
what someone does, habits smoking, unhealthy diet, dugs/alcohol
environmental cancer
where you live, job, the world surrounding you excessive UV, radiation, volcano, nuclear
genetic cancer
passed through genes, hereditary age, sex, BRCA-1,2 mutation
sporadic cancer
Cancer occurring occasionally, singly, or in scattered instances
Familial Cancer
Cancer that occurs in families more often than would be expected by chance. These cancers often occur at an early age, and may indicate the presence of a gene mutation that increases the risk of cancer. They may also be a sign of shared environmental or lifestyle factors.
Hereditary Cancer
An inherited disorder in which affected individuals have a higher-than-normal chance of developing certain types of cancer, often before the age of 50
Viruses that cause cancer
HPV, EBV, HBV, HCV
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
sexually transmitted infection causes abnormal cells to start growing and eventually can turn into cancer main cause - cervical cancer linked to throat and mouth cancer vaccine available to protect against 4 types of virus
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
type of herpes virus known for causing infectious mononucleosis (mono) infects and stays in B lymphocytes infection increases a person's risk of developing nasopharyngeal cancer and Burkitt lymphoma linked to Hodgkin diseases and stomach cancer no meds or vaccine available
Hepatitis B and C virus (HBV, HCV)
cause liver infection long term infection increases the change of developing liver cancer vaccine for HBV prevention few meds available that are effective in treating both
surgery (cancer)
-majority of patients with solid tumors are treated surgically -main benefit: removal of tumor with minimal damage to other body cells -stage 1 -side effects: pain, infection, bleeding, fatigue, blood clots
chemotherapy
drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body given through IV, pill, capsule, liquid, shot, cream to stop, cure, or slow cancer progression side effects- tiredness, sickness, hair loss, infection, anemia, bruising, soreness, bleeding
radiation therapy
uses high does of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors beams of intense energy to kill cells precisely aimed often x-rays used before surgery to shrink tumor or afterwards to stop growth of remaining cells side effects- headaches, blurry vision, hair loss, fatigue, nausea, skin changes
immunotherapy
use of immune cells, antibodies, or vaccines to treat or prevent disease uses substances to stimulate or suppress immune system to help body fight cancer used in late stages side effects: fever, chills, weakness, dizziness, nausea, muscle aches, fatigue, headaches
targeted therapy
targets proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide, and spread small molecule drugs (pills, capsules, needle to blood) used when other treatments are not effective used if cancer is coming from a certain area or drug side effects- high blood pressure, fatigue, mouth sores, nail changes, loss of hair color, skin problems
hormone therapy
adjust hormones that cause certain cancers take meds to replace estrogen used when its specific to hormone related cancers side effects- hot flashes, decreased sexual desire, bone density loss, fatigue, memory problems, weight gain
stem cell transplant
healthy stem cells replace damaged stem cells used when bone marrow is damaged and can no longer produce healthy blood cells side effects: mouth pain, nausea, infections, bleeding, graft failure, lung problems
precision medicine
designed to optimize efficiency or therapeutic benefit for particular groups of patients using genetic or molecular profiling uses info about patients own genes or proteins to treat cancer preventative-usually used when there is a history, family, or specific genes
SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms)
variations in the DNA sequence that occur when a single nucleotide in the genome is altered
BRCA1 and BRCA2
breast cancer 1 and 2 - genetic mutations associated with increased risk for breast cancer
Yeast as a model organism
Unicellular, easy to grow in labs Thousands of mutant lines available to study gene function Used to study the cell cycle and protein-protein interactions Shares chromosomes features with humans
myoelectric prosthetics
use muscle activity from the remaining limb for the control of joint movement
Biofeedback therapy
The technique of making unconscious or involuntary bodily processes perceptible to the senses in order to manipulate them by conscious mental control