19. Cancer Genetics
Cancer Mutations
- Open QuestionRadiation is frequently used as part of the treatment of cancer. The radiation works by damaging DNA and components of the cell.Under what circumstances do you think radiation treatment is a good choice to treat cancer?
- Open Question
Although cancer is not a contagious disease in humans or other vertebrates, there have been rare cases in which cancers have spread from one organism to another. Describe three cases of these contagious cancers and what conditions might have led to their appearance. For an introduction to this topic, see http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/is-cancer-contagious.
- Multiple Choice
A mutation in a tumor suppressor gene causes what to happen?
- Multiple Choice
True or False:Proto-oncogenes are mutated versions of oncogenes
- Multiple Choice
Which of the following proteins is an example of a tumor suppressor?
- Open Question
How can mutations in non-coding segments of DNA contribute to the development of cancers?
- Open QuestionRadiation is frequently used as part of the treatment of cancer. The radiation works by damaging DNA and components of the cell.How can radiation treatment control or cure cancer?
- Open QuestionRadiation is frequently used as part of the treatment of cancer. The radiation works by damaging DNA and components of the cell.Is there a risk of damage to noncancer cells?
- Open QuestionBased on what you read in this chapter,Why do most cancers require the mutation of multiple genes?
- Open QuestionBased on what you read in this chapter,Can a tumor arise from a single mutated cell? Are all the cells in a tumor identical?
- Open QuestionThe inheritance of certain mutations of BRCA1 can make it much more likely that a woman will develop breast or ovarian cancer in her lifetime.Can you say with certainty that a woman inheriting a mutation of BRCA1 will definitely develop breast or ovarian cancer in her lifetime? Why or why not?
- Open QuestionThe inheritance of certain mutations of BRCA1 can make it much more likely that a woman will develop breast or ovarian cancer in her lifetime.In addition to inheriting a BRCA1 mutation, what else must happen for a woman to develop breast or ovarian cancer?
- Open QuestionGo to the website http://www.cancer.gov and select 'Cancer Types' on the top menu bar. Scroll down to 'Breast Cancer' and click. Select 'Cases & Prevention' from the options. Click 'More information' and select 'BRCA Mutations: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing'. Use the information on this page to answer the following questions.Are there measures a woman with a positive result can take to lessen her chances of developing cancer or to catch a cancer early in its development?
- Open Question
Define tumor-suppressor genes. Why is a mutated single copy of a tumor-suppressor gene expected to behave as a recessive gene?
- Open QuestionGo to the website http://www.cancer.gov and select 'Cancer Types' on the top menu bar. Scroll down to 'Breast Cancer' and click. Select 'Cases & Prevention' from the options. Click 'More information' and select 'BRCA Mutations: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing'. Use the information on this page to answer the following questions.With regard to the results of genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, what is meant by a 'positive result'?