Cancer - Evaluation, Tumors, Diagnosis

cancer

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions
Malignant tumors and benign tumors
Tumor nomenclature
- Nomenclature of benign tumors
- Nomenclature of malignant tumors
- Site of origin
Cancer rates and trends
- Statistical records
- Preventable cancers
- Cancer and age
- Death rates
- Variation with region and culture
- Exposure to carcinogens and disease
The growth and spread of cancer
- Tumor progression: the clinical view
  - Presentation
  - Precancerous stage
  - The noninvasive stage
  - Invasion and dissemination
- Metastasis: the cellular view
  - Angiogenesis
  - Microinvasion
  - Dissemination
- Effects of tumors on the individual
  - Local effects of tumor growth
    - Effects of location
    - Effects of functional activity
    - Effects of acute events
  - Systemic effects of malignant tumors
- The immune response to tumors
  - Immune surveillance
  - Tumor antigens
    - Tumor-specific antigens
    - Tumor-associated antigens
Diagnosis and treatment of cancer
- Diagnostic procedures
  - Biopsy
  - Evaluation of tumors
    - Grading and staging
    - Molecular evaluation
- Therapeutic strategies
  - Conventional therapies
    - Surgery
    - Radiation therapy
    - Chemotherapy
    - Bone marrow transplantation
  - Targeted therapies
  - Angiogenesis inhibitors
  - Immunotherapy
  - Gene therapy
- Strategies for cancer prevention
  - Chemoprevention
  - Screening and early detection
Causes of cancer
- The molecular basis of cancer
  - Genetic and epigenetic programs
  - Hallmarks of cancer cells
  - The role of mutation
  - Oncogenes
    - Retroviruses and the discovery of oncogenes
    - Proto-oncogenes and the cell cycle
    - From proto-oncogenes to oncogenes
      Chromosomal translocation
      Gene amplification
      Point mutation
  - Tumor suppressor genes
    - The RB and p53 genes
      Discovery of the first tumor suppressor gene
      Loss of function of the RB protein
      The p53 gene
    - Other tumor suppressor genes
  - DNA repair defects
  - Apoptosis and cancer development
  - Telomeres and the immortal cell
  - Cancer stem cells
- Invasion and metastasis
- Cancer-causing agents
  - Oncogenic viruses
    - DNA viruses
      Human papillomaviruses
      Epstein-Barr virus
      Hepatitis B virus
    - RNA viruses
  - Chemicals, particulate matter, and fibers
    - Initiators
    - Promoters
  - Radiation
    - Ultraviolet radiation
    - Ionizing radiation
- Inherited susceptibility to cancer
  - Familial cancer syndromes
  - Syndromes resulting from inherited defects in DNA repair mechanisms
Milestones in cancer science

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

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Once tissues have been examined, the tumor is assigned a grade and a stage. The grade and stage are major factors governing the choice of therapy. In many cases grading and staging schemes can help to predict the behavior of a tumor and thus aid in determining a patient’s prognosis and the most-appropriate approach to treatment. Grading schemes classify tumors according to the structure, composition, and function of tumor tissue—in clinical terms, the histological features of the tumor. The histological grade of a tumor refers to the degree of tissue differentiation or to an ensemble of tissue features that have ...(100 of 22022 words)

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