Cancer Overview and Carcinogenesis Quiz

10 Questions

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)

3:1

Unregulated, irreversible, and monoclonal growth

It upregulates DNA repair enzymes in response to DNA damage.

BAX is upregulated, disrupting Bcl2 and allowing cytochrome c to activate apoptosis.

Constitutively free E2F, allowing uncontrolled cell growth.

Bcl2 is overexpressed and stabilizes the mitochondrial membrane, prohibiting apoptosis.

To catch dysplasia before it becomes carcinoma or carcinoma before clinical symptoms arise

Growth factors, growth factor receptors, signal transducers, nuclear regulators, and cell cycle regulators

Carcinogens damage DNA, increasing the risk for cancer

Study Notes

Cancer Overview and Carcinogenesis

Tumor nomenclature is based on lineage of differentiation and whether the tumor is benign or malignant.
Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in both adults and children.
The most common cancers by incidence in adults are breast/prostate, lung, and colorectal.
The leading causes of cancer mortality in adults are lung, breast/prostate, and colorectal.
Cancer begins as a single mutated cell and approximately 30 divisions occur before the earliest clinical symptoms arise.
The goal of screening is to catch dysplasia before it becomes carcinoma or carcinoma before clinical symptoms arise.
Carcinogens are agents that damage DNA, increasing the risk for cancer.
DNA mutations eventually disrupt key regulatory systems, allowing for tumor promotion and progression.
Proto-oncogenes are essential for cell growth and differentiation; mutations of proto-oncogenes form oncogenes that lead to unregulated cellular growth.
Categories of oncogenes include growth factors, growth factor receptors, signal transducers, nuclear regulators, and cell cycle regulators.
Common carcinogenic agents include chemicals, oncogenic viruses, and radiation.
Specific examples of carcinogenic agents and associated cancers are provided.