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Ch. 24 - Cancer Genetics

Chapter 23, Problem 30

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.

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Hi everybody. Let's take a look at this practice problem together Which type of cancer is most commonly associated with H. I. V. Infection. Remember that HIV infection is human immunodeficiency virus and it attacks the body's immune system, making it vulnerable to infections and diseases and therefore can be associated with cancer. Let's look at our options. We're going to look at B. Retinoblastoma. Now think retinal and retina is the I. So this is a eye cancer. Now retinoblastoma czar caused by genetic mutations and not associated with HIV infection. So B is incorrect. Now let's take a look at sea feo como se toma. This type of cancer develops in the adrenal glands and the adrenal glands secrete hormones. So a field chromosome toma is a tumor that releases hormones and it's not directly related to HIV infection. And so C. Is also incorrect. Then D. Panko syndrome tumor. Now this tumor is rare and it is found in the upper lungs. It is caused by factors like harmful chemical exposure and or tobacco use. It's not associated with HIV infection. So it's also an incorrect answer. So the correct answer is a posI sarcoma. Now, Kaposi's sarcoma is a type of cancer found in skin mucous membranes and soft tissues. It's a cancer caused by human herpes virus eight and in healthy people. This herpes virus is not a problem. However, in those infected with HIV who have a weakened immune system, they're often at risk for getting Kaposi's sarcoma due to the inability to fight off the infection. So a posi sarcoma is our answer. All right, everyone I hope you found this helpful, and I'll see you soon for the next practice problem.
Related Practice
Textbook Question

Researchers have identified some tumors that have no recurrent mutations or deletions in known oncogenes or tumor-suppressor genes and no detectable epigenetic alterations. However, these tumors often have large chromosomal deletions. What are some possible explanations that could account for the genetic causes behind these tumors?

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Textbook Question

Skin cancer carries a lifetime risk nearly equal to that of all other cancers combined. Following is a graph [modified from K. H. Kraemer (1997). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 94:11–14] depicting the age of onset of skin cancers in patients with or without XP, where the cumulative percentage of skin cancer is plotted against age. The non-XP curve is based on 29,757 cancers surveyed by the National Cancer Institute, and the curve representing those with XP is based on 63 skin cancers from the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Registry.

Provide an overview of the information contained in the graph. 

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Textbook Question

Skin cancer carries a lifetime risk nearly equal to that of all other cancers combined. Following is a graph [modified from K. H. Kraemer (1997). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 94:11–14] depicting the age of onset of skin cancers in patients with or without XP, where the cumulative percentage of skin cancer is plotted against age. The non-XP curve is based on 29,757 cancers surveyed by the National Cancer Institute, and the curve representing those with XP is based on 63 skin cancers from the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Registry.

Explain why individuals with XP show such an early age of onset. 

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