Term
| Acute lymphoblastic leukemia |
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Definition
| a variant of white blood cell cancer that affects the lymphoid lineage of blood cells |
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| a variant of white blood cell cancer that affects the myeloid lineage of blood cells |
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| the regulated process of cell death that occurs in most cells, involving specific cascades of genes and proteins |
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| a cancer-causing or cancer-inciting agent |
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| A gene created by the mixing together of two genes. Might be the product of a natural translocation, or might be engineered in lab. |
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| A structure within a cell comprised of DNA and proteins that stores genetic information. |
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| Cell-killing. Usually refers to chemotherapy that works by killing cells, particularly rapidly dividing cells |
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| Deoxyribonucleic acid, a chemical that carries genetic information in all cellular organisms. It is usually present in the cell as two paired, complementary strands. |
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| A protein that accelerates a biochemical reaction. |
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| A unit of inheritance, normally comprised of a stretch of DNA that codes for a protein or for an RNA chain. |
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| The capacity to manipulate genes in organisms to create new genes, or introduce genes into heterologous organisms |
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Definition
| the full complement of all genes within the organism |
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| In epidemiology, the number of patients who are diagnosed with a disease in a given period of time. It differs from prevalence because incidence reflects the rate of new diagnosis. |
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| a protein enzyme that attaches phosphate groups to other proteins |
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Definition
| Cancer that has spread beyond its local site of origin. |
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Definition
| The division of one cell to form two cells that occurs in most adult tissues of the body. |
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| An alteration in the chemical structure of DNA. Mutations can be silent-i.e., the change might not affect any function of the organism-or can result in a change in the function or structure of an organism. |
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Definition
| An alternative name for cancer |
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| A cancer-causing or cancer-promoting gene. Activation or Overexpression of a proto-oncogene promotes the transformation of a cell from normal to a cancer cell. |
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| In epidemiology, the number of affected patients in any given period of time. |
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| Prevention aimed at avoiding the development of a disease, typically by attacking the cause of the disease. |
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| A trial in which a cohort of patients is followed forward in time. |
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| A chemical comprised, at its core, of a chain of amino acids that is created when a gene is translated. Proteins carry out the bulk of cellular functions, including relaying signals, providing structural support, and accelerating biochemical reactions. |
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Definition
| A precursor to an oncogene. Typically, proto-oncogenes are normal cellular genes that, when activated by mutation or overexpression, promote cancer. Proto-oncogenes typically code for proteins that are associated with cell growth and differentiation. Examples of proto-oncogenes include ras and myc. |
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Definition
| a trial in which treatment and control groups are randomly assigned. |
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Definition
| An RNA virus that keeps its genes in the form of RNA and is capable, by virtue of an enzyme, reverse transcriptase, to convert its genes from the RNA form into a DNA form. |
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Definition
| An enzyme that converts a chain of RNA into a chain of DNA. Reverse transcription is a property of retroviruses. |
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Definition
| Ribonucleic acid, a chemical that performs several functions in the cells, including acting as an "intermediate" message for a gene to become a protein. Certain viruses also us RNA, not DNA to maintain their genes. |
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Definition
| Prevention strategies that are aimed at early detection of a disease, typically by screening asymptomatic men and women. Typically, secondary prevention strategies attack early, pre-symptomatic stages of the disease. |
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Definition
| The introduction of DNA into a cell. |
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Definition
| Mice in which a genetic change has been artificially introduced. |
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Term
| Translocation (of a gene) |
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Definition
| The physical reattachment of a gene from one chromosome to another. |
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Term
| Tumor suppressor gene (anti-oncogene) |
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Definition
| A gene that, when inactivated fully, promotes the progression of a cell into a cancer cell. Tumor suppressors usually protect a cell from one step on the progression toward cancer. When this genes is mutated to cause a loss or reduction in its function, the cell can progress to cancer. Typically this occurs in combination with other genetic changes. |
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Definition
| The notion that for tumor suppressor genes, both functionally intact copies of the gene must be inactivated in order for a cell to progress toward cancer. |
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| A microorganism that is incapable of reproducing by itself, but capable of creating progeny once it has infected a cell. Viruses come in diverse forms, including DNA viruses and RNA virus. Viruses possess a core of either DNA or RNA, coated with proteins, and can be bound by an outer membrane made of lipids and proteins. |
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Definition
| Mukherjee, Siddhartha. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. New York: Scribner, 2011. Print. |
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