Understanding Cancer Accelerated Biology
Faces of Cancer You are a doctor interviewing a person (the piece of paper you got on the way in) with cancer. You will identify and add to the board: If there is a family history Period of life diagnoses with cancer Type of Cancer Risk Factors From this, we will try to construct an understanding of how cancer affects people.
What conclusions can you draw from the data? What affect might family history have on the likeliness of getting cancer? What affect might age have on the likelihood of getting cancer? In general? Certain type? What affect might risk factors might have on the likeliness of getting cancer? Cancer is a multifactorial disease. What do you think that means?
Reviewing our diagnosis notes? Routine screening vs. imaging vs. genetic testing vs. biopsy Which of the above is can actually diagnose cancer?
Cause Hereditary vs. Carcinogen vs. Chance Genes change the way cells behave! Oncogenes Accelerated Cell Cycle Cyclin Growth Signal Tumor Suppressor Genes p53 Apoptosis: programmed cell death
Spread and the name of cancer Metastasis Need for oxygen: Hypoxia stimulates angiogenesis Why might a tumor cell need oxygen? If a tumor didn’t get oxygen what would happen?
Spread and immortality Telomerase: Chromosomes shorten every replication. This makes cells “mortal” During times when cells need to divide many times, an enzyme called telomerase repairs telomeres. Telomerase can be reactivated in cancer.
Treatment 3 types of treatments: One patient may have one or even all three treatments: Surgery Chemotherapy Radiation
Isn’t radiation a mutagen? High levels of radiation: destroys cells Low levels of radiation: mutates DNA
Does chemotherapy make you sick? Depends: Some chemotherapies non-specifically kill fast dividing cells. Where else in your body do you have fast dividing cells? What precautions do people on chemo take? Other chemotherapies are targeted: Targeted at angiogenesis Targeted directly at specific cancer cells Targeted at boosting the immune system.
How are stem cells used to treat leukemia? Bone marrow transplant Donor bone marrow Autologous bone marrow transplant
Doctor and patient jigsaw Make up your own case study: Identify what tests have been done to diagnose the patient. Provide results. Explain what may have gone wrong with the cells and identify if your patient has signs of metastasis. Switch partners with another group; you will be the patient and someone from the other group will be the doctor. You will share your story and the doctor will suggest a treatment based on the symptoms you have described.