19. Cancer Genetics

Radiation 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?

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.

A mutation in a tumor suppressor gene causes what to happen?

True or False:Proto-oncogenes are mutated versions of oncogenes

Which of the following proteins is an example of a tumor suppressor?

How can mutations in non-coding segments of DNA contribute to the development of cancers?

Radiation 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?

Radiation 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?

Why do most cancers require the mutation of multiple genes?

Based on what you read in this chapter, Can a tumor arise from a single mutated cell? Are all the cells in a tumor identical?

The 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?

The 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?

Go 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?

Define tumor-suppressor genes. Why is a mutated single copy of a tumor-suppressor gene expected to behave as a recessive gene?

Go 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'?