Chemical-induced carcinogenesis

Subdecks (3)

Cards (106)

  • Neoplasm (Tumor)
    • lesion resulting from abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth (neoplasia)
    • characterized by swelling or increase in size
    • Benign: Benign neoplasms may grow large; do not spread into, or invade, nearby tissues or other parts of the body
    • Malignant (Cancer): Malignant neoplasms can spread into, or invade, nearby tissues or other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.
    • Hyperplasia: an increase in the number of cells in a tissue that appear normal under a microscope
    • Dysplasia: the cells look abnormal under a microscope but are not cancer
    • Hyperplasia and dysplasia may or may not become cancer
  • Characteristics of cancer
    1. Self-sufficiency in growth signals: has their own signals; normally receive signals then divide
    2. Insensitivity to anti-growth signal
    3. Evade apoptosis
    4. Replicative immortality (X die)
  • Characteristics of cancer
    1. Sustained angiogenesis: grow new blood vessels (gain nutrients + spread to other places)
    2. Tissue invasion and metastasis (spread)
    3. Reprogramming of energy metabolism
    4. Evading immune destruction
  • Chemical carcinogens
    • agents that increase likelihood of cancer formation
    • change the rate/ frequency of cancer formation on exposure
  • Genotoxic carcinogen
    • Mutagenic (add on DNA)
    • Tumorigenicity: Dose responsive (increase exposure = increase rate)
    • no theoretical threshold (no definitive dose where cancer develops)
    • 3 subtypes: complete carcinogens, procarcinogens, co-carcinogens
  • Non-genotoxic (Epigenetic) carcinogen
    • Non mutagenic
    • Dose response
    • Threshold + Reversible
    • Species, Strains, Tissue specificity (only respond if target receptor/ tissue exist) e.g. Breast cancer